Soldier-borne Intelligent Realtime Visual Enhancement (SIRVE)

Recent advances in solid-state physics have improved low SWAP-C microbolometer thermal imagers, yet significant optimization opportunities remain. While the cellphone industry has leveraged real-time image enhancement algorithms for visible spectrum imagers, thermal imaging has not fully capitalized on similar advancements. OKSI proposes developing a real-time image enhancement pipeline for LWIR and NIR imagers to achieve significant performance improvements. This pipeline will result in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement and improved image clarity. We will implement a NIR/LWIR sensor fusion algorithm which will combine the relevant information from each modality into a single image displayed to the warfighter. By leveraging state-of-the-art algorithms, our enhancement pipeline will significantly elevate thermal and NIR imaging performance, providing US warfighters with improved effectiveness, reduced cognitive fatigue, and increased situational awareness.