PHILADELPHIA, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — ZE Government Solutions (ZEGS), a wholly owned subsidiary of A.I.-based gun detection leader ZeroEyes, today announced it has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase II contract in the amount of $1.25M focused on ZeroEyes Thermal Threat Detection (ZTTD) to investigate its potential to fill capability gaps in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
The integrated solution, ZeroEyes Thermal Threat Detection (ZTTD), combines ZEGS’ A.I.-based object detection video analytics with a commercially available thermal sensor UAS platform to proactively identify, track, and respond in real-time to imminent threats that are not visible to the human eye. This will provide situational awareness in environments where traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) may be unavailable, such as a heavily camouflaged combative environment or an aerial threat flying within the walls of a base installation.
The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through a 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 DAF began offering ‘The Open Topic’ SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded and now in June 2023, ZEGS will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.
“During my years of military service, I became very familiar with the risks posed by fog, dust, foliage, night and other elements that make ISR difficult,” said Mike Lahiff, CEO and co-founder of ZeroEyes, parent company of ZEGS. “The combination of our proactive A.I.-based gun detection solution, UAS technology, and advanced imagery detection creates a triple crown of security that will immediately alert airmen when a gun-related threat is present, any time of year, in any weather.”
About ZE Government Solutions
ZE Government Solutions (ZEGS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of ZeroEyes, an industry leader in proactive gun detection and situational awareness. ZEGS focuses on developing and delivering unique and proactive artificial intelligence solutions to the U.S. federal government for national security purposes. The company’s software layers over existing digital cameras to help secure military installations at home and abroad while freeing manpower to perform other mission critical tasks. ZEGS is equipped to develop a wide range of solutions, including unmanned aerial drones and robotic dogs furnished with A.I. gun detection, portable digital video security systems, and advanced imagers that can detect threats in environments where traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) actions are impossible. The company employs a robust federal government affairs effort, and is dedicated to providing situational awareness and actionable intelligence, reducing response times, and delivering clarity among chaos for the U.S. government and its military service members. Learn more about ZE Government Solutions at ZeroEyes.com.
About AFRL
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 11,000 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit: www.afresearchlab.com.
About AFWERX
AFWERX, a program office at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), connects innovators across government, industry, and academia. Through innovation and collaboration with our nation’s top subject-matter experts and harnessing the power of ingenuity of internal talent, by expanding technology, talent, and transition partnerships for rapid and affordable commercial and military capability.
Additional information is available at: https://www.afwerx.com/.
About AFVentures
AFVentures invests in emerging technologies to scale Department of the Air Force capabilities, strengthening the US industrial base that empowers Airmen and Guardians by incentivizing private, for-profit investment in national security interests. Our success is achieved by connecting novel commercial solutions with defense problem sets, de-risking Airmen and Guardian initiatives to fill capability gaps and transition technologies. Learn more at https://afwerx.com/afventures-overview/.
