Portable, Omnidirectional Retroreflector Testing System

To address the Air Forces need for a wide-angle retroreflectometer, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to continue advancing, in Phase II, the new Portable, Omnidirectional Retroreflector Testing (PORT) system. Successfully developed and proven feasible in Phase I, the PORT system utilizes an advanced optical system to enable surface testing at an arbitrary angle of incidence. The same system also acquires the retroreflected signal, thus minimizing the system size, eliminating the need for large moving parts, and improving ruggedization. In Phase I, POC successfully demonstrated PORTs ability by developing a fully functional standalone prototype to accurately measure the reflected signal from incident angles ranging from 2 to 77 in actual field conditions. In Phase II, POC proposes to improve the system by simultaneously capturing the spatial and angular information of the retroreflected signal, thus enabling complete characterization of the surface without introducing moving parts. POC will also modify the system to enable it to be used for manual or automated operation as necessary, thus allowing a single unit to be used for all measurement applications. Based on these improvements, POC will develop a roadmap for future productization during Phase III.