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Sage Technologies is making the lives of firefighters, military personnel and first responders much easier with numerous body-mounted technical innovations, including a hands-free thermal imaging camera designed for firefighters.
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Sage Technologies is under contract with the Night Vision Laboratory of the U.S. Army to enhance the company's Covert Over Barrier Recon Assistant-Infrared (COBRA-I)—a high-resolution, low-light video camera that folds into the cargo pocket of a soldier and can be extended like a periscope so the soldier can see around corners and over walls without exposing himself. |
"Firefighters traditionally use hand-carried thermal imaging cameras to help identify and track heat sources," says Julius Olita, president of Sage Technologies. "We free up their hands with a helmet-mounted version that weighs less than a pound and runs on two AA batteries for up to four hours."
The camera is being marketed in the U.S. by Total Fire Group out of Dayton, Ohio. A military version of the camera is being marketed domestically and internationally by Night Vision Systems outside of Allentown, PA. Sage also has a dealer in Japan and has sold camera systems to the Tokyo Fire Department, with more dealerships in negotiation.
Laying the Groundwork
for Future Products
Sage developed its first helmet-mounted video cameras for firefighters with the help of $50,000 from Ben Franklin Technology Partners. "The helmet-mounted system worked, and we loved the product, but the firefighters unfortunately didn't like it too much," Olita says. "But Ben Franklin helped get us through our first development phase, which laid the groundwork for our future technologies."
Sage went back to Ben Franklin a second time for additional product development support. This time Ben Franklin invested $250,000—but financial assistance was only part of the equation. "We have always had a Ben Franklin mentor with experience in manufacturing," says Olita. "They also have a research group that helps with market information, and they're a good forum to bounce around ideas."
An Emphasis on Communication Technology
Sage Technologies has many irons in the fire, including multiple contracts with the military. A summary of their research and development efforts include:
- Providing avionic support in navigation and communications for Marine One, the U.S. President's helicopter (through a subcontract with Lockheed Martin)
- Developing an integrated personnel protection system (IPPS) to be used by both military and first responders. The IPPS is a body-mounted computer system that communicates wirelessly with physiological and other sensors on the bodies of first responders. Data is transmitted to the first responder's helmet display and to the tactical commander's base station.
- Researching what the company is calling a "digital firefighter" project, which is intended to digitize all the communications equipment for firefighters and first responders
- Working with the Department of Homeland Security on a helmet-mounted sensor system for U.S. Coast Guard boat operators that uses a new type of sensor technology known as shortwave infrared. The helmet-mounted camera/sensor has a high-resolution display and a wide field of view.
- Studying the feasibility of a digitally enhanced vision system for a new U.S. Air Force helicopter known as the CSAR-X. The system will integrate both long wave and short wave infrared to help locate downed pilots or soldiers in distress.
Sage is also under contract with the Night Vision Laboratory of the U.S. Army to enhance a product that the company developed independently—the Covert Over Barrier Recon Assistant-Infrared (COBRA-I). COBRA-I is a high resolution IR camera and a low light level video camera that folds up and fits into the cargo pocket of a soldier. It can then be extended like a periscope, so the soldier can see enemies around corners and over walls without exposing him or herself. The Army liked COBRA-I so much that they have contracted Sage to add more sophisticated sensors to create COBRA-II.
Controlling the Rate of Growth
Sage currently has 15 employees. "Right now we are trying to maintain our size, and we have been outsourcing distribution and manufacturing," Olita says. "We are going to start taking over manufacturing internally, so I see us really growing not so much in terms of services, but in terms of products. In the next three to five years, we should have about six products on the market and be 50 to 100 percent larger."
Olita says no matter which direction Sage Technologies heads, he plans to maintain the relationship with Ben Franklin. "We have had excellent support from and communication with them. Ben Franklin comes in every six weeks to see what we're doing; they give us a checklist of what they think is right and wrong, and it really helps. We have a company motto that we try to live up to—Bringing Performance to the Promise of Technology. It's our goal in every effort." |
