SBIR Phase II: Development of a Tunable Filter for Mini Hyperspectral Imager

This SBIR Phase II research project will address the need to see beyond ordinary human vision, which is critical to improvements in health care delivery, development of precision agriculture methods, guarantee of front-line responder safety and protection, and processing a safe food supply. Hyperspectral imaging, with its ability to capture hundreds of continuous spectra, delivers a valuable tool that provides enhanced visualization and analysis. Current systems tend to be space- or air-borne, large bulky modules that do not lend themselves to portable or hand-held solutions. This mini hyperspectral imager has at its core a novel MEMS monolithic, Fabry-Perot tunable filter and optical system and will be portable and handy, similar in size to a zoom camera in a cell phone. This research and development effort will develop a family of innovative miniature hyperspectral imaging systems that potentially can have a significant impact. These systems can alert our modern war fighter and emergency first responders by seeing beyond our vision and identifying terrorist threats. It can safeguard our nation's water and food supplies by utilizing affordable hyperspectral systems to identify e-coli and other bacterial contaminations before they are consumed.