February 10, 2022
Camera Control app allows all MPU5 radio users to remotely view and command/control military EO/IR gimbals via the Rugged Display and Controller (RDC).
NEW YORK, N.Y.—Persistent Systems (“Persistent”), a leading developer of mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) technology, announced today a firmware upgrade to its MPU5 MANET radio that includes a Camera Control Application for third-party electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) gimbaled cameras.
Any MPU5 user—from the Tactical Operations Center staffer to the dismounted warfighter—can not only consume video from manned and unmanned aircraft, but now also take control of the EO/IR camera on the platform and point it at a specific target or area of interest.
“The solution puts sensor control firmly in the hands of the operator on the ground,” said Nick Naioti, Vice President of Business Development at Persistent Systems. “This is very the foundation of the Next Generation ISR vision: to get video and sensor data to all users on the battlefield that need the data in real time.”
To enable the Camera Control Application’s working across disparate systems, the Persistent engineering team collaborated closely with Teledyne FLIR, L3 Wescam, Trillium Engineering and other leading EO/IR gimbaled camera manufacturers, to support their unique camera control protocols.
The result is an increase in capability and a reduction in the cognitive load on the warfighter. “Users carrying the MPU5-linked Rugged Display and Controller can take control of the EO/IR sensor in real-time without needing to relay voice commands to sensor operators or remote unmanned controllers via antiquated and latent mechanisms,” said Naioti.
From the perspective of the user, it’s just a matter of scrolling through auto-populated video feeds on the Rugged Display and Controller screen and using the native joysticks and buttons to control the movement and features of the EO/IR gimbals. This cuts down on information stovepipes and eliminates the need for extra gear.
The new 19.6.8 firmware is now available for download in the Customer Support Portal. Both the Camera Control Application and the Firmware upgrade are available at no cost to MPU5 customers.