Lumidigm wins Air Force SBIR contract for fingerprint sensors
Officials at Lumidigm Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M., won a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., to develop spoof-detection sensors that work with conventional fingerprint readers. The goal is to develop fingerprint scanners that resist efforts to fool the sensors. Lumidigm builds biometric and liveness-detection technologies based on optical measurements of skin tissue that will enhance performance in existing products. For more information contact Lumidigm online at www.lumidigm.com.
Ball Aerospace to develop laser-spot tracker
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., won a contract from the U.S. Air Force Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins, Ga., to develop a sensor for the A-10 ground-attack aircraft. Ball will build a laser-spot tracker to determine the position of received laser energy, which should quicken target-acquisition time. The tracker also could be used for 3-D light detection and ranging applications, also known as lidar. Ball Aerospace develops sensors, spacecraft, systems, and system components for government and commercial applications. For more information contact Ball online at www.ballaerospace.com.
Development group awards contracts for ‘agile robotics’
The Robotics Foundry, a nonprofit economic development organization in Pittsburgh, awarded $800,000 to several regional companies and universities to carry out six defense-related “agile robotics” technology development programs. Initiatives include how to make robots work together, semi-autonomous robot operations, safety features for robotic weapons, automatic obstacle detection using low-cost sensors, trip-wire detection, and prediction and diagnosis of robot failures. Receiving grants are Applied Perception Inc. of Wexford, Pa.; the Carnegie Mellon University National Robotics Engineering Consortium in Pittsburgh; Automatika in Pittsburgh; and Penn State University in University Park, Pa. For more information contact the Robotics Foundry online at www.roboticsfoundry.org.
Optek meets space guidelines for optoelectronic components
Optek Technology in Carrollton, Texas, is meeting several important guidelines for certifying its optoelectronic components for space applications such as spacecraft and satellites. Optek, a subsidiary of TT Electronics, is designing and building commercial off-the-shelf optoelectronic components in accordance with the European Space Agency ESA/SCC 5000 PRF and U.S. MIL-STD 19500 standards. Optek’s manufacturing and test capabilities include 100 percent ACI screening, Group A, B, C, and D testing, as well as LAT 1, 2, and 3 testing. Optek builds light-emitting diodes, photodiode arrays, phototransistor arrays, and photodiodes. For more information contact Optek online at www.optecinc.com.
PerkinElmer sensors meet European, Japanese regulations
Thermopile sensors and pyroelectric detectors from PerkinElmer Optoelectonics in Fremont, Calif., now meet the requirements of the European Union Regulation of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, company officials say. PerkinElmer sensors also meet Japanese guidelines on hazardous materials in electrical and electronic equipment. RoHS takes effect in Europe in July 2006, and is one of the most stringent environmental directives in the world, PerkinElmer officials say. PerkinElmer’s TPMI thermopile module is a noncontact temperature sensor. Pyroelectric detectors are infrared detectors that provide an AC type output signal on modulated radiation received. For more information contact PerkinElmer online at www.optoelectronics.perkinelmer.com.
