StarVision Technologies Secures Exclusive License to Star Identification Software
StarVision signs exclusive licensing agreement with Texas A&M University for star identification software.
College Station, TX (PRWEB via PR Web
Direct) May 26, 2005 -- StarVision Technologies has signed an exclusive
licensing agreement with Texas A&M University for star identification
software that enables satellites to autonomously determine their orientation
with only the stars as their guide. The same software will allow those of us on
earth to identify stars in the night sky with the simple click of a high tech
pointing device; no star maps or telescopes required.
"This is a huge
step for StarVision," explains StarVision Technologies President Michael Jacox.
"Even as we worked to secure the license from A&M, StarVision was investing
in development of autonomous navigation and star identification products. It
feels great knowing that we've secured the exclusive rights to put this software
to work and we intend to do so right away."
Already, StarVision has two
products developed that employ the algorithms and ingenuity of the three pieces
of star identification software. StarVision's advanced Star Tracker concepts
will support more responsive deployment of spacecraft, and allow for more
autonomous on-board calibration and adjustment to the space environment.
Dr. John Junkins, Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering at
Texas A&M University and a member of the National Academy of Engineering,
led the development the concepts behind the star identification
software.
"This software is the result of collaboration between me and my
colleague, Dr. Daniele Mortari. Dr. Mortari's contributions were instrumental.
Along with our students, we have developed and tested a suite of software that
rapidly identifies stars in the 'lost in space mode,' without any prior
navigation information," Junkins explains. "The software operates on images from
a star camera and within a fraction of a second identifies star patterns
reliably, and automatically re-calibrates the camera if any changes occur due to
long term exposure in the harsh space environment. This algorithm represents a
significant breakthrough, because sorting through the tens of millions of
possibilities makes brute force methods unattractive."
The same suite of
software can be used for commercial applications on Earth to accurately identify
stars even within our atmosphere. StarTagger, StarVision's handheld star
identifier, let's anyone who can point at a star in the night sky identify
constellations and find out just what star they're looking at. This invention
makes it possible for anyone to immediately become a proficient amateur
astronomer; the entire sky feels like a graphical user interface to access
astronomy and space science information. The software that makes it all possible
was developed by Dr. Junkins and Daniele Mortari, associate professor of
engineering at Texas A&M.
StarVision Technologies is a high-tech
spin-off from technologies developed at Texas A&M University. Housed in
Texas A&M's Research Park, StarVision Technologies is engineering innovative
new intelligent vision technologies that are extending the reach of our soldiers
and improving commercial inspection. StarVision products support a broad range
of applications, including defense unmanned systems, space systems, robotics,
and consumer products.
Media Contact:
Joan
Tatge
979-324-2247
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb245145.htm