A plenoptic flow imaging system would provide fast, instantaneous volumetric flow capture for use in aerodynamic development and testing, including for future NASA vehicles with non-traditional aerodynamic geometries or advanced propulsion or flow control surfaces. The plenoptic approach may be the only means for capturing volumetric flow data simultaneously, allowing researchers to see for the first time rapidly evolving volumetric flow features – with time increments as small as 5 microseconds or less. Our cost-effective, high-performance plenoptic flow imaging system would be a valuable tool for aerodynamic research and the development of faster and more efficient air vehicles.
Leveraging our on-going commercialization and sales of plenoptic imagers, we expect our cost-effective, high-performance plenoptic flow imaging system to be a valuable tool to government (including Department of Defense), commercial, and university aerodynamic R&D, for the development of faster and more efficient air vehicles, and for use in aerodynamic development and testing, including for future vehicles with non-traditional aerodynamic geometries or advanced propulsion or flow control surfaces. The plenoptic flow imaging system will allow researchers to see rapidly evolving volumetric flow features – with time increments as small as 5 microseconds or less. Nanohmics spin-off – Austin Optical Innovations – will help reduce cost of our core plenoptic camera technology through commercialization, including for applications such as plenoptic wavefront sensing. Other potential applications go beyond aerodynamic measurement. A number of applications involve fluid flow that can be seeded or perhaps provide their own photon emissions, for example: visualizing flow and reactant concentration in chemical reaction vessels; semiconductor deposition processes like chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
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