Engineering Concept Design & Assembly in VR Program Follow-on, Year 2

This CIF will result in the development of a collaborative environment where hardware I&T and mission planning can do fit checks, cable routing, tool paths, and robotic arm paths in a virtual environment. It also leverages existing GMSEC middleware to enable VR hardware applications that use actual mission telemetry on a NASA enterprise middleware architecture. This use of AR and VR technologies in a telerobotic environment significantly reduces operator cognitive load, and provides contextual visualizations of assets such as a robotic arm. Finally, Augmented Virtuality techniques are used to combine video streams and 3D models into VR to provide the operator views unavailable through conventional means while operating the robotic arm.

Development of this technology will greatly facilitate practical use of VR/AR inspacecraft design, testing ,and integraation thus saving time and cost.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.