The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award to 21CSi and its research partner, the University of Oklahoma. This is 21CSi’s 72nd overall SBIR award since its founding, and the first time OU and 21CSi have collaborated on an SBIR/STTR research project.
Called SHARE (Sensor Handoff via Advanced REasoning) Under Uncertainty, this STTR effort utilizes nested fusion loops that account for the feature data, applying uncertainty bounds to compare against previous information. SHARE Under Uncertainty, in essence, will play “20 questions” to ascertain how each new piece of data fits with the previous information to further reinforce or discount a track, allowing other possible tracks to be considered. Through examining sensor characteristics and systematically addressing uncertainties and biases, our research aims to be able to uncover common features usable to track targets as they cross sensor modalities. This handing over back and forth capability would allow a network of sensors – each with unique characteristics – to maintain object surveillance and greatly improve missile defense.
21CSi 