New Optical Tracking System developed by Vision Engineering for UCF being considered for deployment on the International Space Station

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Vision Engineering Solutions, LLC recently completed development of a powerful new Optical Tracking System that cuts costs in half and precisely monitors satellites, missiles, drones and a wide range of projectiles. Ed Logue, chief executive officer of Vision Engineering, said the device was developed for the UCF CREOL College of Optics and Photonics. Dr. Ronald Phillips, chief scientist at the Townes Institute of Science and Technology Experimentation Facility at UCF, said the instrument was funded by a grant from the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program in the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research. Phillips called the Vision Engineering instrument “spectacular.” “We could not be more pleased with their product,” Dr. Phillips said. Logue said Vision Engineering’s Optical Tracking System can be manufactured more quickly, and costs less than half of what government agencies pay for competitive instruments. The system consists of a tracking gimbal, optics (telescopes), sensors, a remote control station, a generator (for remote site operations), and an enclosed trailer that houses the entire system for transportability. Vision Engineering’s Optical Tracking Device accurately tracks moving objects and projectiles with both optics and specialized sensors, including infrared, and collects metric data and images for scientific and engineering analysis. Vision’s founders have had a mutually beneficial relationship with UCF for over 20 years. They have collaborated on numerous projects that took basic and applied research through to prototypes and fielded systems. “Our latest partnership has enabled us to design, build and test an entirely new product that will open up commercial markets for us,” stated Logue. “The Optical Tracking System has many potential uses, including Department of Defense test ranges for missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, commercial space operations, telecommunications and NASA, which is considering deployment aboard the International Space Station.” Vision Engineering is a client company of the University of Central Florida’s Business Incubation Program located at Central Florida Research Park in East Orange County.