In General XR News
July 17, 2024 – GridRaster Inc., a provider of cloud-based extended reality (XR) platforms that power augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) experiences for enterprises, has recently announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force for its Strategic Financing (STRATFI) program.
STRATFI is open to small businesses with an awarded Phase II Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) contract. The program is aimed at helping SBIR and STTR projects overcome the difficult transition between development and full production through funding opportunities. Funding amounts for the STRATFI program range from USD $3 million to $15 million for up to a 48-month period of performance.
For the U.S. Air Force, GridRaster’s 3D AI extended reality solutions offer the integration of data from various sensors and sources into a unified augmented reality display, providing pilots and commanders with real-time insights into their operational environment. From advanced threat detection to terrain mapping and navigation assistance, these augmented displays help to enhance situational awareness and decision-making capabilities in high-stakes scenarios, according to GridRaster.
“The integration of 3D AI extended and mixed reality solutions represents a paradigm shift in how the US Air Force and aerospace manufacturers approach training, operations, maintenance, and design processes,” said Rishi Ranjan, CEO of GridRaster. “By leveraging immersive simulations, augmented maintenance procedures, virtual prototyping, collaborative remote operations, and enhanced situational awareness, these technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance efficiency, safety, and effectiveness across the board.”
GridRaster’s AI-enabled XR platform being used for anomaly detection in aircraft maintenance.
The announcement was made public by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory, and SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX. The joint entities announced the Program Year 2024 Strategic Funding Increase, a contract award selection from its Phase II eligible applicants.
“Our growth stage investment programs, Strategic Funding Increase and Tactical Funding Increase, are an integral part of the AFWERX and SpaceWERX vision to forge an innovation ecosystem that delivers disruptive Air and Space capabilities,” said Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX Director and Chief Commercialization Officer for the Department of the Air Force. “We are employing dollars at scale, both government and private investment, to accelerate the development of strategic capabilities.”
Col. Leigh added, “”The STRATFI program underscores our commitment to transitioning dual-use commercial technologies into the hands of our Airmen and Guardians, ensuring that our military forces have access to the most advanced state-of-the-art capabilities that are emerging in our private sector.”
GridRaster has worked extensively with the U.S. Air Force and aerospace manufacturers for high-fidelity modeling, simulation and training, and XR solutions. The company’s XR platform moves the heavy computation required for immersive and high precision XR experiences to the cloud while using XR HMDs as a collection of sensors and displays, which helps to reduce or eliminate many of the limitations of current and forthcoming XR devices and platforms.
For more information on GridRaster and its AI-enabled spatial computing technology, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: GridRaster / YouTube
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.