A graphic showing Applied Intuition’s “Spectral” software. (Courtesy of Applied Intuition)
WASHINGTON — Autonomy technology startup Applied Intuition will deliver a “virtual sensor optimization solution” to the Air Force under a new contract awarded by AFWERX, the service’s technology accelerator, in a move that the company says will deliver capabilities to users faster and cheaper.
Applied will be used its Spectral system to gather sensor data from various systems, compare results, and then spit out simulations on what performs the best in various situations — in theory, saving the Air Force significant time and money by buying multiple sensors to find which would work best.
“Rather than purchasing multiple sensor arrays, placing them on a platform, and running real-world tests to determine the array that performs best against the use case and requirements — detecting adversaries on the ground or in the air, for example — virtual sensor evaluations in Spectral allow AFWERX Prime to assess the performance of various sensor models and vendors prior to making purchasing decisions, saving taxpayer dollars and shortening program timelines,” Nicholas Pisciotta, defense technical business development manager for Applied Intuition, told Breaking Defense ahead of the contract announcement.
According to an Applied Intuition press release, the Spectral software will “quickly evaluate the performance of various sensor types and combinations, optimize sensor placement, accelerate development timelines, and reduce costs for aerial systems under development by the Air Force and commercial partners.”
The “initial engagement” with AFWERX will last 18 months, Ahmed Humayun, head of government business development for Applied Intuition, told Breaking Defense.
“By testing a commercial solution against a government problem, and accelerating the integration of that technology into a larger-scale government solution, the contract demonstrates how AFWERX fills the gap between commercial technologies and the end users,” he said.
A company spokesman confirmed to Breaking Defense the contract is valued at less than $7.5 million, but wouldn’t provide a total figure. AFWERX usually uses SBIR/STTR contracts, which are valued at much less than $7.5 million.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the contract value, Applied Intuition has been ramping up its work with the Pentagon at the same time the department has been trying to increase engagements with non-traditional defense contractors.
Last November, the company announced it had won a contract worth up to $49 million over two years by the Defense Innovation Unit to develop autonomy software tools for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle program. That contract followed a previous award to the company in February when it was one of several companies selected to participate in a contract with a $249 million ceiling to provide artificial intelligence and autonomy test and evaluation software for DoD’s Joint AI Center (which was later subsumed into the new Chief Digital and AI Office) and the military services.
How to ensure readiness of next-generation defense technology: Solving the issue of massive heat.
High-performance systems generate tremendous amounts of heat that can compromise missions and make high-tech systems less effective in tactical environments. But there is a solution to this modern-age challenge.
OSINT overdose: Intelligence agencies seek new ways to manage surge of open-source intel
AI is driving a tsunami of private-sector open-source intelligence. Now the federal Intelligence Community just has to figure out how to ride the wave.
