December 5, 2019 • APG News B5 well as federal law enforcement working dogs, CANINE for wearability, usability and comfort. The team also measured the hearing protection effective- ness during helicopter operations and found a Continued from Page B1 significant reduction in short-term hearing loss. “This new technology will extend canines tion Research grant managed by ARO -- an ability to work in a wide range of environments element of U.S. Army Combat Capabilities in combination with the Soldier and autono- Development Command’s Army Research mous systems that could greatly enhance situa- Laboratory. tional awareness of the individual Soldier in the Military working dogs are used for a vari- future and empower a broader use for military ety of roles, including tactical operations, working dogs in operations,” Lee said. patrol, detection and specialized search. Until “Zeteo Tech is excited to provide CAPS now, hearing protection systems available in response to a critical need for effective were rigid, cumbersome and hard to put on the canine hearing protection in demanding envi- dog, with limited effectiveness in testing for ronments,” said Michael McLoughlin, vice the protection of canine hearing. president of Zeteo Tech, Inc. The CAPS uses lightweight, high-quality McLoughlin said Zeteo Tech is a Mary- acoustic absorption materials to block unwant- land-based small business founded in 2013 ed sounds. Unlike conventional canine hearing and dedicated to “developing and delivering protection, this solution is constructed of flexi- solutions to address the health and welfare of ble materials that conform to the unique shape the military and others who serve the nation.” of a dog’s head. This flexibility ensures prop- The CCDC Army Research Laboratory is er sealing around the ear and maximum sound an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabil- reduction. ities Development Command. As the Army’s The snood-style headgear, resembling a corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, close-fitting hood, uniformly distributes the innovates and transitions science and technol- pressure required to hold the hearing protec- ogy to ensure dominant strategic land power. tion in place, while avoiding challenges asso- Through collaboration across the command’s ciated with straps. At a little more than an inch core technical competencies, CCDC leads thick, the device’s low profile will not be a hin- in the discovery, development and delivery drance for dogs working in tight spaces. It is of the technology-based capabilities required U.S. Army photo also compatible with other gear used by work- to make Soldiers more effective to win the ing dogs, such as goggles. Thanks to an Army small business innovation program, canines may have new nation’s wars. CCDC is a major subordi- The research team tested the headgear gear to protect their ears. The Canine Auditory Protection System, known as nate command of the U.S. Army Futures extensively with military working dogs, as CAPS, may prevent short-term hearing loss in military working dogs. Command.

surveillance purposes to improve situation- CAMERA al awareness, force protection and warfighter effectiveness. “The Pyxis camera is small enough to Continued from Page B1 mount on Class 1 UAS,” Chenault said. “We even have a ‘drone kit’ for quick integration David Chenault, president of Polaris Sensor onto many off-the-shelf drones.” Technologies. Researchers created the IR polarimetric Multiple Applications camera by integrating a pixelated polarizing As a small business-developed technology, filter into what’s known as a microbolometer. the infrared camera for drones demonstrates This innovation allows the camera to detect a potential variety of different commercial polarization contrast in the environment even applications. One such application is the when thermal contrast isn’t present. detection of oil spills. The polarization sen- A significant amount of effort was focused sitivity is able to very effectively detect oil as on refining the assembly of the camera and thin as 50 micrometers even in the presence of implementing software upgrades that help waves and emulsifiers used in spill clean-ups. users obtain a better understanding of the Once deployed on a commercial airborne unique nature of the polarimetric data. platform, these cameras may soon be used “The physics of polarization is complicat- to monitor oil processing and transportation ed, and our software enables the user to quickly facilities, such as refineries, pipelines and and easily explore how signatures are impact- transfer stations, as well as ports, harbors and ed by materials and geometry in the scene,” shipping lanes. Chenault said. “The analytical tools in our soft- The Pyxis camera also shows promise in ware makes comparing the performance of detecting snakes for ecological rehabilitation. image metrics in the polarimetric video easy.” Initial tests in the Everglades have shown that During the past decade, research efforts IR polarization is one of the more effective led by Army physicist Dr. Kristan Gurton ways to detect pythons which have become have shown that fusing polarimetric informa- a significant problem as an invasive species tion with conventional thermal imagery greatly in Florida. The drone-mounted Pyxis may enhances the technology’s ability to detect low be able to assist python hunters with finding observable targets hidden by natural clutter. snakes in inaccessible locations. In addition, thermal polarimetry has also “We’re incredibly excited about both of allowed researchers to conduct human identifi- these applications because of the positive cation and facial recognition in complete dark- impact they could have outside of the mili- ness, a feat previously thought to have been tary,” Chenault said. “It’s not every day that impossible. you get to go on a snake hunt as part of your “As we found more and more new applica- job.” tions for thermal polarimetric imaging, it only For both these applications, researchers made sense to work on making the camera sys- are looking into incorporating man-in-the- tems smaller, more rugged and cost-effective,” loop interfaces and autonomous software that Gurton said. will allow the camera system to automatical- Ultimately, the Army contracted Polaris to ly send alerts with text and images whenever it detects the desired target. develop such a system. The resultant IR polari- U.S. Army photo metric camera has successfully demonstrated Researchers and their commercial partners The Pyxis camera can more reliably capture an image of the target (circled in its capabilities in handheld, vehicle-mount- are also combining the camera’s unique polar- red) at ambient temperatures during thermal cross-over compared to conven- ed and UAS-mounted platforms in multiple ization imagery with machine learning algo- tional thermal imagery. field tests. rithms in order to improve its capabilities. Army researchers have also expressed their The IR polarimetric camera will only “We believe the capability is ready now; interaction with the right program offices will plans to mount this new specialized camera on require a few more finishing touches before it it just needs to be integrated in its final form start the process to get the technology in the small rotary wing and fixed wing drones for is ready for deployment, Chenault said. onto the objective platforms,” he said. “Direct hands of the Soldier.”

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Ceremonial Lawn at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Dec. 7 is National Pearl Center. Pearl Harbor survivors, World War II Harbor Remembrance Day. veterans, family members, and local dignitaries will be in attendance. A moment of silence will Each year on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor survivors, veterans, be observed at 7:55 a.m., the exact moment and visitors from all over the world come together to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began. honor and remember the 2,403 service members and A ship will render pass-in-review honors to the civilians who were killed during the Japanese attack on USS Arizona and all Pearl Harbor Survivors. Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. A further 1,178 people A missing man flyover conducted by the were injured in the attack, which permanently sank two 199th Fighter Squadron, Hawai’i Air National U.S. Navy battleships - the USS Arizona and the USS Guard and the 19th Fighter Squadron, U.S. Air Utah - and destroyed 188 aircraft. Force will follow. Highlights of the ceremony On Aug. 23, 1994, Congress designated Dec. will also include music by the U.S. Navy’s 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Pacific Fleet Band, a Hawaiian blessing, wreath Every year, remembrance events are held at the presentations, a rifle salute by the U.S. Marine Pearl Harbor National Memorial, culminating in a Corps, a vintage aircraft flyover, and Echo commemoration ceremony on Dec. 7. This year marks Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Damian Berg Taps in recognition of the men and women the 78th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks. Those Navy Seaman 1st Class Duane Reyelts, a survivor of the who survived the attack and those who made unable to attend the commemoration ceremony and Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, tosses flowers off the the ultimate sacrifice for their country on Dec. other commemorative events can observe or follow side of the guided-missile frigate USS De Wert (FFG 45) 7, 1941. For more information, visit www. along on the National Park Service Facebook page during a Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Mayport, Florida, pearlharborevents.com. at https://www.facebook.com/PearlHarborNPS/, and Dec. 7, 2012. USS Oklahoma Memorial on the website calendar at https://www.nps.gov/valr/ planyourvisit/calendar.htm. Ceremony The three ceremonies highlighting the week of remembrance include the This ceremony, set for 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, honors and commemorates following: (Note: Honolulu local time is five hours behind U.S. Eastern Standard the loss of the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and 429 members of its crew. The USS Time). Oklahoma was moored along Battleship Row and was hit by as many as eight to 12 torpedoes during the attack. The ship’s port side was opened up by the salvo Utah Memorial Sunset Ceremony of torpedoes. The ship capsized 12 minutes after the first torpedo hit. The USS Set for 5 p.m. local time, Friday, Dec. 5, the USS Utah Memorial Sunset Ceremony Oklahoma was righted two years later but damage to the ship was too severe for it honors the loss of the USS Utah (AG-16) and 58 of her crew. The USS Utah was the to return to service. first ship torpedoed in the attack on the Pacific Fleet. Struck by two torpedoes, the ship capsized and sank within 12 minutes. Yvonne Johnson, APG News National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration Source(s) https://www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/calendar.htm; The ceremony honoring the 78th anniversary is set for 7:30 a.m., Saturday, Dec. http://pearlharborevents.com/events/; 7 at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. The ceremony begins 7:50 a.m. on the https://www.nps.gov/valr/learn/historyculture/national-pearl-harbor-remembrance-day.htm