ORONO — Ken Winter's co-workers at American Technology Corp. call him "Capt. Blue Sky" because he's always looking for new markets for his company's innovative speaker technology. It was appropriate, then, that on Thursday he found a possible lead that was literally flying through the sky over the University. of Maine's football field.
Winter spoke with Wayne A. Lundeberg about hooking one of American Technology's lightweight, flat-panel speakers onto one of the radio-controlled drone airplanes that Lundeberg's company, TDRI, was displaying. Both Lundeberg and Winter were attending the opening sessions of a conference detailing homeland security market opportunities for businesses.
"Obviously, in a state that doesn't have a huge industrial base, anytime you can turn over something new and unique, it's an amazing opportunity," said Winter. American Technology is a San Diego-based company, but its military sales and engineering operations are in Topsham. Winter is director of the division.
His idea was to actually use his company's technology to make the fuselage and wings of the small planes, called the CyberEye, into speakers. The plane could then be used for anything from outdoor advertising to crowd control during riots.
"If someone takes a shot at this thing," he shrugged, "well, it's a drone."
The company that developed the CyberEye, TDRI, is based in Tucson, Ariz., but is looking into using super-strong, lightweight materials developed and tested at UMaine for the drone planes. The planes have a wingspread of just over 6 feet and are almost 5 feet long.
They weigh only six pounds, and can carry a payload of three and a half pounds. They can stay airborne for about an hour, and can fly for about 22 nautical miles before landing.
They were developed to spot illegal immigrants crossing the U.S. border, potential threats (such as terrorists) and drug traffic, said Sally Fernandez of TDRI.
They're easy to use, said Lundeberg, as was demonstrated by pilot Jack Shafer, who picked the demonstration model up and tossed it forward into the air. It immediately generated lift and its battery-driven motor powered the propeller, which drew the plane up into the air.
The utterly silent plane immediately began sending a video signal back to a TV monitor on the ground. The plane can also be outfitted with different sensors that can detect gases or other hazards. The company is working with sensors from Sandia National Laboratories, said Fernandez, a leading-edge research facility.
Shafer said he heard about the job as radio-control pilot through a friend of his wife's who made an infrared camera for an earlier CyberEye. Shafer, a radio-control plane enthusiast, is a retired Air Force colonel who flew F-4s and A-10s, including time in Desert Storm.
Thursday's activities also included tours of various UMaine labs working on possible homeland security applications. Maine Biotech Association's Cheryl Timberlake was particularly interested in work being done by Professor Mauricio Pereira da Cunha on unique crystal sensors that may be able to detect microbial pathogens.
The relatively new synthetic crystal, Langatate, can withstand harsh conditions, such as temperature of up to 1,200 degrees Celsius, said da Cunha. He and his team of students are working on determining the various characteristics of Langatate and the related crystal Langasite, using grants from the federal government.
While homeland security opportunities have made research projects more plentiful, said da Cunha, the government is often more interested in giving funds to technology that is closer to market readiness.
Timberlake expressed an interest in trying to bring da Cunha's research to industry and possibly to market. He obviously agreed, with parting comments of, "Let's see how we can interact with industry and get things cranking!" |
