The Active Optical Systems Group develops and fields unique, world-class optical sensor systems across multiple mission areas of national importance. Our Group has a history of successful innovations; we have fielded a high-area coverage rate foliage-penetrating 3D imaging lidar using single photon-sensitive detector arrays; we developed a novel ultra-wideband coherent lidar; and we have MIT LL digital pixel focal plane array technology to develop unique passive IR sensors. These systems leverage our Groups’ creativity; over the past decade, our staff have filed 25 technology disclosures and have been granted 12 patents. Additionally, our group projects have won multiple R&D100 Awards, a prestigious innovation award honoring revolutionary ideas in science and technology.



Our portfolio of programs spans smaller, high-risk, high-reward seedling studies and experiments that explore novel techniques and technologies to the fielding of larger, more mature systems that a...