AFWERX program backs new know-how for emergency groups and navy wildfire efforts
Picogrid and the Massachusetts Institute of Expertise (MIT) Mission Innovation X (MIx) have been awarded a $1.75 million contract by the U.S. Division of the Air Pressure’s innovation program, AFWERX. The objective of the venture is to develop new methods to assist emergency and navy groups reply extra successfully to wildfires.
The award was made underneath the Small Enterprise Expertise Switch (STTR) Section II program. This program helps partnerships between small companies and analysis establishments to create new options for nationwide protection.
Wildfires proceed to be a significant menace in the USA. Navy groups usually work alongside native and state authorities to handle hearth emergencies. The brand new know-how developed by Picogrid and MIT will assist this mission.
Jake Jeffries, Technical Program Supervisor at Picogrid, acknowledged: “Wildfires pose a critical menace to DoD installations, and the navy has persistently performed a significant function in responding to them throughout the U.S. Our know-how allows Air Pressure finish customers, equivalent to hearth departments, to deploy compact and transportable sensor packages that stream real-time full-motion video again to command facilities. That is invaluable for monitoring lively wildfires, deterring crime, and supporting emergency response efforts.”
Quick Deployment and Lengthy-Time period Assist
Picogrid’s instruments are already in use at places equivalent to Vandenberg Area Pressure Base. The corporate delivered Helios, a cell sensor system, in underneath 24 hours.
“At Vandenberg Area Pressure Base, as an example, we delivered our Helios {hardware} in underneath 24 hours. Helios offered cell and quickly deployable capabilities with underneath 15-minute setup to determine persistent surveillance in susceptible areas. This provides to our a number of Lander platforms already in use at Vandenberg for long-duration missions to get early situational consciousness of native fires. Given each Helios and Lander are totally unbiased of the prevailing energy grid and communication infrastructure, we have now ensured operational reliability in austere situations. What units us aside is our give attention to info interoperability throughout navy, state, municipal, and different hearth departments,” stated Jeffries.
The Lander platform additionally helps dispersed sensors by offering energy and communications in distant or rugged places.
A Unified View for All Stakeholders
Picogrid’s software program helps convey collectively information from many forms of sensors. This enables emergency response groups and command facilities to view all info in a single place.
Zane Mountcastle, CEO of Picogrid, defined:
“Picogrid’s platform creates a single pane of glass for emergency operations by consolidating information from dispersed sensors and enabling it to be shared by open APIs. The objective is to make the identical info accessible to many stakeholders concurrently, whether or not they’re within the workplace or engaged on cell units within the subject.”
The give attention to open entry and ease of sharing helps be certain that everybody concerned—from federal companies to native responders—can work from the identical real-time information.
Concerning the Program
The Air Pressure Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX created the STTR and SBIR applications to convey small enterprise innovation to the Division of the Air Pressure. These applications goal to scale back delays, assist new concepts, and assist firms ship options quicker.
Since 2018, the “Open Matter” program has expanded the forms of know-how the Air Pressure is prepared to fund. The partnership with Picogrid and MIT MIx displays this effort to strengthen nationwide protection by versatile, fast-moving know-how improvement.
Because the press launch notes, “The views expressed are these of the creator and don’t essentially mirror the official coverage or place of the Division of the Air Pressure, the Division of Protection, or the U.S. authorities.”
About Picogrid
Picogrid is a protection know-how firm targeted on connecting sensors, autonomous automobiles, and other people by a unified software program platform. With places in El Segundo, CA, and Lawton, OK, the corporate helps navy and enterprise prospects worldwide.
About AFRL
The Air Pressure Analysis Laboratory leads science and know-how analysis for the Air Pressure. It has over 12,500 group members working throughout air, area, and our on-line world domains.
About AFWERX
AFWERX is the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Pressure. Since 2019, it has awarded greater than 6,200 contracts to assist convey new applied sciences to protection operations.
Need DRONELIFE information delivered to your inbox each weekday? Enroll right here.
Learn extra:
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, an expert drone companies market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone business and the regulatory surroundings for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles targeted on the industrial drone area and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the business. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising and marketing for brand new applied sciences.
For drone business consulting or writing, E-mail Miriam.
TWITTER:@spaldingbarker
Subscribe to DroneLife right here.
