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Under its MicroSensors for Imaging (MISI) program, the US Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a three-year contract to Goodrich Corp’s ISR Systems division to develop next-generation night-vision sensor technology for helmet-mounted and micro-vehicle applications, covering engineering and initial prototypes of highly sensitive lightweight imaging cameras.

Goodrich’s Sensors Unlimited Inc (SUI) team in Princeton, NJ, USA will develop its indium gallium arsenide-night vision (InGaAs-NV) shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensors into a camera with 640 pixel x 512 pixel resolution that weighs less than 10g, intended for hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicles. The firm will also deliver a 1280 pixel x 1024 pixel head-mounted monocular.

The small and lightweight size of Goodrich’s SWIR system is due to the use of materials and circuitry that allow it to run without cooling, unlike other night vision technologies that needs cumbersome cooling systems, the firm claims. Its technology is currently used on a diverse array of applications, from non-invasive medical examinations to silicon wafer inspection.

In the new MISI program, the imaging technology will be advanced and coupled with breakthrough packaging for night-vision applications, says Edward Hart, SUI’s VP and general manager. Goodrich expects to achieve dramatic reductions in size, weight, power and performance for new-generation warfighting capabilities.

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Visit: www.isr.goodrich.com/sui