Capabilities Summary

Corporate Background

Pathfinder Systems, Inc. is a small woman-owned business that has been in continuous operation since 1985. We provide a variety of technical services to the Department of Defense, other US Government agencies and commercial entities. Pathfinder’s expertise covers the entire range of services necessary for the successful execution of complex programs and software intensive efforts. The firm’s ability to successfully execute high-risk technical efforts makes us eminently qualified to execute more usual program requirements in a superior manner. Our software development capability is self assessed at CMMI Level 5.

The company is located in Arvada, Colorado and possesses a secret facility clearance. Pathfinder is knowledgeable in the management and execution of contracts with the US Government and possesses a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) approved accounting system. Pathfinder can also accept US Government credit card purchases.

We are organized to provide a full array of services for our clients that range from research and development to software design and implementation and systems engineering. In order to meet evolving customer needs, we recently expanded our products to provide quality administrative support/staffing, documentation and management services.

Pathfinder’s US Government customers include: Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), US Coast Guard, US Army STRICOM, BMDO, and US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command.

Pathfinder’s customers and subcontractors include: Flight Safety International, National Park Service, GRC International, Hughes Training, CSC, SAIC, SETA Inc., Lockheed Martin, Northrop-Grumman, Computing Devices International, Logicon, Teledyne Continental, Litton Guidance and Control, Cubic Defense, and many others.

Pathfinder Systems can help you meet your veteran-owned and woman-owned contracting goals by providing excellent services, on time and within budget, while providing you with the best value for your contract or subcontract dollars.

Capabilities

Pathfinder’s expertise covers the entire range of development of software-intensive systems and services necessary to meet the unique needs of your current or planned efforts. Whether you need administrative personnel on site or you require an intensive engineering or R&D effort, Pathfinder can accommodate your requirements.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION ACTIVITIES

Pathfinder Systems is one of the most successful small business to commercialize R&D projects. We have achieved approximately $20M in commercialization of just a few Phase I and Phase II SBIR projects.

Services

Pathfinder can provide all of the services needed to execute complex programs and software intensive efforts. In today’s fast-paced environment, state of the art solutions can change on what almost seems to be a daily basis. To cope with this volatile environment, Pathfinder maintains its core expertise through the execution of a rigorous and continuous internal research and development effort. Pathfinder’s internal R&D program has produced a number of innovative and unique technologies that have been used to benefit Pathfinder’s US Government and Industry partners.

Pathfinder also maintains a rigorous and ongoing commercialization effort to transition their R&D results to commercial markets. The purpose of this commercialization effort is to reduce the future cost of Pathfinder’s unique capabilities to their customers, by leveraging the more widespread use of their technologies within the commercial sector.

In addition to the broad range of technical services provided by the company, Pathfinder Systems also provides a number of administrative and management services to ensure overall successful program execution. The following tables provide an overview of the services that Pathfinder can provide to ensure the successful execution of your program.

Our technical and software services are discussed in detail below. You can also skip to information about our research and development and commercialization efforts or learn more about our administrative and management services.

INTERNAL RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (IR&D)

To ensure that our engineers are up to date with the state of the art, our R&D supports an established Internal Research and Development (IR&D) program. This IR&D program is focused on maintaining the proficiency of our personnel. Our IR&D investment is focused on basic research in technologies that give us a competitive advantage in the general area of automated decision making, artificial intelligence, and the practical application of emerging technologies. This rigorous IR&D program produces unique capabilities that are directly transitioned to the commercial sector. Our commercialization efforts further develop the results of our IR&D program into products, services and software applications that can be introduced into a variety of commercial markets. The following paragraphs identify technologies that we are currently commercializing.

Neural Net Models

Our neural net approach permits direct training of expert systems by subject matter experts, without the need for software or artificial intelligence expertise. Pathfinder’s IR&D program over the past several years has resulted in the development of extremely fast multi-layer neural networks based on our LINIAC algorithm, and an associated fast and effective training and validation approach. These techniques are applicable for large-scale real time applications such as battle management, intelligence fusion and financial analysis. On standard computers, including PCs, LINIAC is capable of solving complex, multi-layer problems in the span of several hundred microseconds. LINIAC is implemented as Dynamic Link Library (DLL) objects or as VBX objects compatible with the new “visual” languages. It has also been implemented as an Ada procedure for VMS and UNIX environments. The simplicity of the LINIAC model makes it an ideal candidate for use in embedded systems, which require the implementation of behaviors not easily expressed in algorithms.

TEACHER

TEACHER is a Direct Knowledge Acquisition system. It solves the most pressing problem of “expert systems”, which is how to quickly acquire knowledge from experts, easily and directly. This is accomplished in TEACHER by allowing experts to quickly represent their knowledge in the form of example behaviors. TEACHER includes a statistical validation capability of the “knowledge” absorbed. This approach has been used with great success in several of our recent programs.

Virtual Reality in the Real World

One of most interesting and vital research efforts is in the area of what we term “Synthetic Reality”. Synthetic Reality is the ability to realistically inject computer-generated entities into real-world user views in real time. We have already developed working synthetic reality prototypes and have patents pending on the technology. We believe that this technology will be used in the future for the following applications:

Personal entertainment devices that inject images of computer-generated characters into the user’s immediate environment.
Virtual paint ball applications and three-dimensional games that require users to interact with virtual game pieces or characters.
Virtual intelligent targets for enhanced small arms and tank gunnery training.
Virtual reviews for large construction projects on site, before construction begins, to facilitate city planners and architects.
Virtual theme parks able to quickly change ride themes.

Flight Management Technologies

We have explored advanced high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft flight management technology for reconnaissance missions under IR&D. We are continuing the development of advanced flight management concepts for long-endurance UAVs.

Administrative and Management Services

Software Management Support

Quality assurance, configuration management and control, validation, testing, verification.

Program Management

Project structuring, scheduling, and reviews. Briefing and presentation support, technical and financial tracking. Statement Of Work (SOW) development and oversight.

Program Assessment

Technical, schedule and cost assessments. We provide recommendations and revised Program Plans that ensure successful program completion. All findings clearly documented.

Program Management Training

We provide on site mentoring or formal classroom instruction. Pathfinder provides tools to aid in cost and schedule tracking as well as risk assessment/reduction efforts. We support Partnering, Integrated Product Teams and Total Quality Management efforts.

Current or Recent & Past Contracts

You may read about our current and recent contracts immediately below, or skip to information about our past contracts. Please contact us if you would like to receive more detailed information on our work.

Current or Recent Contracts

MCAT-P2

This advanced prototype development is currently underway. The MCAT-P2 can train USMC enlisted aircrews in actual gunnery, crew coordination, and external load operations. This simulator is convertible amongst the CH-53E, MV-22B, and UH-1Y aircraft and is capable of day, night, and NVG operations.

MCAT-P

Pathfinder Systems has developed an innovative prototype for a gunnery, crew coordination, and external load trainer prototype for rotary wing aircraft in a full-flight motion based simulator. The prototype has a convertible cabin representing multiple aircraft types, realistic gun systems compatible with the aircraft, a visual system configuration compatible with training in the crew’s own equipment, and is capable of being mounted on a motion base. The prototype uses high-performance, low-cost commercial projectors and PC image generators and a near-spherical dome-like screen system and existing Marine Corps visual databases to create an immersive training environment.

C-130 Load Master Trainer (CLT)

The CLT project is developing an Augmented Reality (AR) procedural trainer for loadmaster students that will significantly reduce the number of actual flying sorties currently required. The CLT device will provide the loadmaster student with the ability to perform and be graded at defined levels of proficiency without expending aircraft sorties. The scenarios will mimic actual flying training missions and will be performed in real time. The CLT will also allow the student to practice and prepare for emergencies rarely experienced during the flight training program.

U.S. Coast Guard Aircrew Weapons Trainer

The CGAWT is a small motion-based gunnery trainer supporting USCG sniper training. It expands upon the Pathfinder repertoire of simulator capabilities. A second version, contained within a trailer and lacking a motion base, was installed at the US Coast Guard Aviation Training center in Mobile, AL in April, 2010. This trainer was made to easily accommodate other services and/or weapons and supports HH-65C and HH-60J aircraft.

DARTS

By extending Land Warrior (LW) soldier computer systems with Augmented Reality, we can provide an infrastructure free training device that soldiers can use to train basic tasks as well as conduct mission rehearsals. DARTS will solve many of the challenges associated with this technology, and provide innovative solutions for image generation and training. DARTS will allow soldiers to train both as individuals and as part of a unit any time and any place, without the need for complex infrastructure or setup.

Past Contracts

F1A 18 E1F Refueling Simulator SBIR

In this Phase I SBIR we explored 2D and 3D presentations of a small, portable refueling trainer.

SOFTRAK

In the SOFTRAK program, we developed a route-planning system for US Special Forces A-Teams and US Navy SEALs to minimize energy expenditures for personnel while maximizing stealth during ground movement. (Customer: US SOCOM, US Navy)

Future Combat Systems (FCS) Switchable Vision Block Study

This six month effort developed the requirements and conceptual design for a combat vehicle vision block that can provide both fully virtual and real-world views for the US Army’s next generation of combat systems. (Customer: Boeing—Boeing Supplier #683956).

Intelligent Information Management System(IMAN)

Developed a preliminary design and feasibility demonstrator for artificial intelligence-based software agents to reduce information overload for US Naval Personnel. (Customer: NAVSEA TWSG)

VTAGS

This “Virtual Target Gunnery System” is a low cost technology we developed to provide military personnel with a strap-on gunnery training system, that allows trainees to engage virtual targets in real-world settings in either the live-fire or dry-fire mode. The initial application being developed will support the Mark 38, 25mm machine gun. Initial live fire against virtual targets was demonstrated in September of 2002. (Customer: OSD—Live Fire Test and Evaluation Directorate)

OneSAF Engineering Effort

Provided subject matter expertise and domain engineering for the US Army’s next generation Brigade level training simulation. (Customer: AT&T Government Services)

Obstacle Marking and Vehicle Guidance System (OMVG) STO

This work used Augmented Reality to inject computer generated C4I information into the real-time, real-world views of military vehicle crews to aid in obstacle avoidance and C2 coordination under all environmental conditions. (Customer: US Army TACOM)

INVEST STO

Developed a preliminary design for a system to inject virtual targets into real world views using the various sights of the M1A2 SEP Main Battle Tank. (Customer: US Army STRICOM)

Glass Turret Visualization System (GTVS)

In this effort we developed a feasibility demonstrator to inject C4I information into the real-world, real-time views of combat vehicle crews to enhance their situational awareness and cooperative decision-making capabilities. (Customer: DARPA)

Army Combat Simulation Analysis

In this effort we conducted an in depth study of the major training simulations available throughout the US Army. The work also included determining the ability of these simulations to interface to High Level Architecture (HLA) compliant systems.

Non-rated Crewmember Trainer (NCMT)

In this effort we created a low-cost aircrew simulator to support the UH-60 and the CH-47 helicopters. This effort produced a fully deployable system consisting of two aircrew trainers in a single 53-foot expandable tractor trailer. The trainer will support gunnery training, crew coordination, multi-ship training and mission rehearsal as well as training for cargo hook operations. The system was delivered in its Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in March of 2007. (Customer: US Army PEO STRI)

ATLAS

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) effort developed a set of complimentary technologies to extend the range and endurance of High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs). The technologies were validated in a series of flight tests in FY 2007. The technologies may be used to develop a new HALE UAV platform that can greatly decrease the cost of current HALE systems. The technologies may also be individually integrated into current and evolving UAV programs. (Customer: Air Force Research Laboratory—Air Vehicles Division)

Contact

If you have a requirement for any of our developmental capabilities or services, please let us know. We will be happy to put together a quote, white paper, or proposal to address your unique needs. Simply contact Ms. Sheila Jaszlics. We guarantee a complete, timely, quality response to your inquiry.