Development of a miniature, hyperspectral imaging digital camera

A program to develop a novel non-scanning 3-D hyperspectral imager operating in the 2.0-5.0 micron range and intended for UAV applications is proposed. The proposed system builds upon Surface Optics’ real-time hyperspectral imaging activities and utilizes a completely new hyperspectral imaging technique developed under an Army SBIR to generate a compact, rugged, low-power SWIR/MWIR hyperspectral imager. By virtue of the use of a moderate cost MWIR focal plane array and removal of any need for scanning as is necessary in other hyperspectral imagers, the new hyperspectral detector will be both inexpensive and compact. By building on Surface Optics Corporation’s decades experience in hyperspectral imaging system development, sensor development, and algorithm development, the proposed program will produce a new SWIR/MWIR 3-D hyperspectral detector of unsurpassed capability, with varied military and commercial applications.