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PRISMS was originally developed in 1996,
in the context of a U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR). During that project, we flew the Army’s advanced STRATA
simulator, developed for immersive display research at a cost of $40
million. We were determined to develop a simulator with much of the
power of STRATA, but which could be marketed for $50,000 or less.
Most of the $785,000 contract was directed toward the design, development,
and evaluation of PRISMS capabilities.
PRISMS power and features attracted the immediate attention of the
U.S. Army Technical Test Center, responsible for evaluation
of the new Comanche helicopter. ATTC purchased a system for integration
with the Comanche flight model and with High-Level Architecture (HLA)
for compatibility with all military simulators.
Johnson Engineering and NASA’s Johnson Space Center have
acquired five PRISMS systems that we have adapted for use as Martian
Lander/Hopper/Rover vehicles, demonstrating the rapid re-configuration
of PRISMS. The customer is currently designing a multiple-station
system that would require 8 to 12 additional PRISMS units.
NASA’s Ames Research Center funded the augmented capabilities
of PRISMS as the first trainer for instructing helicopter autorotation,
a maneuver designed to safely land an aircraft with engine failure,
but deemed too dangerous to practice in real aircraft. The system
was based on a task analysis with expert user support and was very
well received.
In 1999, we won an additional U.S. Army SBIR for $850,000,
for further enhancement of PRISMS capabilities and use in the systematic
and experimental evaluation of new helmet-mounted display symbology
for wide-angle displays.
A PRISMS unit is being acquired by the Army Aviation technical the
center for high-level demonstrations at the U.S. Army Aviation
and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
Anacapa Sciences is conducting an SBIR project for the Naval Surface
Warfare Center at Dahlgren, Virginia to develop an intelligent advisor
for Human-Computer Interface Design. PRISMS will be employed to simulate
Tomahawk Missile operations in the evaluation of new interface designs.
In total, PRISMS has accounted for about $2.5 million in sales to
date, much of which has been reinvested in rapidly escalating performance
capabilities. The system improvements have also been supported by
significant internal R&D efforts. |
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