29 Mar 04. DRS Data & Imaging Systems, Inc., a unit of DRS Technologies, Inc. introduced its line of Lightning Research, Design and Test (RDT(TM)) cameras. DRS’s Lightning RDT(TM) cameras provide standard off-the-shelf personal computers with the capabilities of high-speed digital video capture, intuitive camera control software and powerful motion analysis. They provide an integrated, high-speed imaging system that addresses a wide variety of motion analysis requirements. Consisting of a small camera head, detachable cable and custom frame grabber board, each Lightning RDT(TM) camera can capture 500 full frames per second at 1,280 by 1,024-pixel resolution. An extremely fast rate of 16,000 frames per second can be achieved at reduced resolutions, depending upon the model. Typical applications for the camera include, but are not limited to, biomechanics studies, component safety testing, drop/shock/vibration testing, impact analysis and particle image velocimetry (PIV).

25 Mar 04. BAE Systems has introduced a day/night, all-weather capability designed to enable pilots to navigate and land in degraded visual environments. The capability combines radar, infrared sensors, and low-light-level TV to enable pilot visibility in dust-outs, smoke, fog, haze, rain, snow, and complete darkness. The system consists of BAE Systems Radar-Enhanced Vision System, a multimode, millimeter-wave radar, integrated with forward-looking infrared, low-light-level television, and proprietary sensor fusion technology to enable operation in zero-ceiling/zero-visibility (0/0) environments. The fused image is displayed either on a head-up or helmet-mounted display.

Mar 04. Radstone Technology announces the availability of liquid-cooled variants to its ATR chassis range for conduction-cooled VME boards. Liquid-cooling represents a highly cost effective way of increasing the power budget for an electronic enclosure and is achieving widespread use in avionic and vetronic programs. Radstone has taken bespoke liquid cooling technology and translated it into a set of COTS products ready for deployment. Initially, two form factors are offered: 1ATR Long Chassis and 1ATR Short Chassis. Deployment can be either by ‘plumbing’ the ATR into the existing vehicle wide coolant flow or by grouping it with its own pump and heat exchanger assembly in a closed loop configuration. This latter option is particularly relevant to many current upgrade scenarios where the liquid-cooled ATR is placed ‘close to the action’, often replacing an existing box, and the pump/heat exchanger located remotely.