U.S. sensor technology company Hidden Level, Inc. has been selected by AFWERX, a Technology Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the innovation arm of the Department Air Force, for a phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract focused on airspace sensor fusion with open source intelligence (OSINT) to mitigate risks and identify Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) threats for the U.S. Air Force.
In partnership with The University at Albany OSI lab, Hidden Level will execute a three-month systematic and intensive feasibility study combining/layering OSINT with persistent surveillance sensor data to enhance situational awareness, mitigate risks, and identify sUAS threats.
The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and STTR processes by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal-to-award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and losing bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.
“The Department of the Air Force (DAF) began offering ‘The Open Topic’ SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded. Now, Hidden Level will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America,” the Syracuse, NY-based company said.
Founded in 2018, Hidden Level addresses the growing need for a scalable, cost-effective drone detection solution, providing a scalable Data as a Service (DaaS) offering for drone detection and low altitude airspace awareness, according to its corporate website.
AFWERX is an Air Force Research Laboratory Directorate that connects innovators across government, industry and academia. Through innovation and collaboration with its nation’s top subject-matter experts, AFWERX harnesses the power of ingenuity of internal talent while expanding technology, talent and transition partnerships for rapid and affordable commercial and military capability, according to its website.
Image source: hiddenlevel.com
