PORT HUENEME, Calif. – 
Naval Floor Warfare Heart, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) has even further expanded its presence in the engineering transfer arena through its most recent Cooperative Study and Advancement Arrangement (CRADA), this 1 inked with Camarillo, California-based GBL Programs Corp., a provider of methods engineering and custom made computer software solutions to the U.S. Armed Forces.
“GBL Techniques does a considerable quantity of function for Naval Air Programs Command (NAVAIR) and the Department of Protection Exam Useful resource Administration Middle and is looking to changeover some capabilities to probable naval shipboard purposes,” stated Alan Jaeger, NSWC PHD’s Business office of Research and Engineering Apps supervisor.
The CRADA settlement involves the analysis of sophisticated Augmented Reality (AR) and cyber and biometric authentication systems and techniques at the command’s Fathomwerx Lab for the duration of the 2022 Highly developed Naval Engineering Work out (ANTX) and Coastal Trident Port and Maritime Security Method.
Exploration and advancement efforts will focus on professional technologies that could likely apply to Navy ships and the better U.S. Navy, and are aligned with NSWC PHD’s In-Services Engineering Agent (ISEA) mission to company, preserve and provide education for naval ship fight units.
GBL Programs Principal Scientist Michael Soltys explained his group is energized to get the job done with the command and formalize what experienced beforehand been an “informal” arrangement via Fathomwerx Lab, a public-non-public partnership on Port of Hueneme assets.
“While GBL Devices has worked for a long time with Naval Air Devices Command at Issue Mugu (in Port Hueneme, California), our collaboration with NSWC PHD is new we are thrilled to showcase our alternatives and examination them for the distinct wants of NSWC PHD and the greater afloat Navy.”
This is not the command’s to start with interaction with Soltys, a professor and chair of Camarillo-primarily based California State College, Channel Island’s office of pc science. He participated in NSWC PHD’s inaugural summer months school plan in June 2020, sponsored by the Business office of Naval Analysis to initiate formal associations in between naval labs and the research authorities of their selection.
Soltys, who is also a computer software engineer, mentioned that GBL Techniques and Fathomwerx Lab have been in get in touch with for some time by way of the Ventura Tech Bridge, “and we are incredibly happy to now have a formal settlement of collaboration.”
A few precise technologies will be explored with the CRADA, which include: GBL Systems’ FutureOrb identity management, which gives a framework for biometric authentication with a dual function of actual physical entry regulate the company’s Cyber Forensics Integrated Triage Instrument (Cyber-FITT), a transportable electronic forensics device and written content-authoring technology for immersive instruction working with AR and Digital Fact (VR).
These technologies will be collaboratively researched and designed between GBL Methods and NSWC PHD’s principal investigators with the CRADA, and shown all through the open up residence part of this year’s ANTX/Coastal Trident party.
The command’s principal investigators include: Socrates Frangis, afloat cybersecurity director Jorge Lacoste, an Engineering and Exam Office laptop engineer with a robust history in cybersecurity and Liping Chen, a devices engineer who also previous drop acquired a U.S. patent for a “biometrics authentication for protected access to program,” in accordance to the patent title.
Although Chen’s biometric authentication technique, which includes a machine for capturing and processing wrist-vein pictures, will not be included in this initial period of the CRADA, it could be a aspect of a following-stage agreement as the engineering is more exclusively tailored to Navy wants, Chen claimed.
“I am pretty grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the improved security and functionality of warfighters,” she additional.
Chen, who is the co-chair of the Navy Augmented Actuality Consortium, will also perform with GBL Devices on potentially adapting its current AR and VR training technologies to assistance the warfighter.
“At GBL Techniques, we have a large amount of AR/VR technological innovation all set to be deployed,” Soltys said. “We will be operating with (the command) on authoring information of relevance to the Navy.”
Frangis mentioned his staff is most intrigued in the Cyber-FITT technology and how it could potentially be tailored for Navy use.
Cyber-FITT is a handheld, subject-ready electronic forensics triage device developed for on-web-site evaluation of electronic storage gadgets, this sort of as laptop or computer tough drives or electronic memory playing cards, that are issue to getting searched or investigated.
“It is to begin with supposed for cellular units where by legislation enforcement could speedily, in the field, evaluate a suspect system and accomplish preliminary forensic assessment next a cyber incident,” Frangis stated. “While this use situation is extra particular to condition and area legislation enforcement, we see probable for Navy applications as cellular products and mission software turn into more commonplace.”
Frangis added that as an ISEA, the command’s purpose in cyber incident reaction is to augment the Navy Cyber Defense Functions Centre, supporting the fleet in isolation of the method, collection of forensics artifacts and restoration of the program to a standard operational point out.
For the duration of the ANTX/Coastal Trident open up residence, NSWC PHD cybersecurity team members will notice present Cyber-FITT capabilities and constraints and supply tips for how the engineering could be matured to assistance the command’s function with afloat Navy control process cyber incident response, significantly in the forensics artifact assortment phase, Frangis explained.
A team from GBL Methods will display the 3 technology items at the ANTX/Coastal Trident open up household celebration scheduled for the 7 days of Sept. 12. Soltys explained the FutureOrb demonstration will be employed to acknowledge registered attendees to the party all those who pick not to take part in the facial-recognition scan can be checked in manually.

For Cyber-FITT, GBL Methods will be in a position to deliver use scenario examples from a pilot software analyzed for the duration of execution of lookup warrants issued from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Business office as properly as results collected when made use of by the county’s Significant Technological innovation Endeavor Force electronic forensics lab members.
“An application of Cyber-FITT could be port protection, if digital media on vessels wants to be searched effectively,” Soltys explained.
Chen explained she is functioning with GBL Programs to enable obtain use situation illustrations for the AR/VR training technologies that will include customized headsets and automatic authoring strategies for Sailor specialized assistance and instruction.
“We are creating a drumbeat to fulfill frequently for tracking the progress and tasks in preparation of the open residence demonstration,” she said.
Brendan Applegate, lead for fleet experimentation and physical exercises with the command’s Business of Engineering, also serves as the direct coordinator for the once-a-year ANTX/Coastal Trident, which commonly usually takes location from April by way of September and features a wide variety of functions-dependent workout routines, technical demonstrations and subject experiments.
“ANTX will be leveraged as a demonstration location to increase recognition and access to these and other acquiring systems among Navy and spouse businesses,” he stated. “Use instances and novel apps will turn out to be a target for discussion as nicely as give large-worth prospects for transition and implementation.
“Fathomwerx and ANTX things to do are built to give us a great, speedy search with a small investment decision on the components of each the federal government and the builders.”
The concept of technological know-how transfer, normally referred to as T2, is usually the goal of agreements like the CRADA as effectively as Work with Personal Bash Agreements (WWPP), Patent/Software program License Agreements (PLA/SLA), Training Partnership Agreements (EPA), and Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIA).
