“Until a few weeks ago, I was in the Air Force training fighter pilots,” says General Mike Holmes, USAF (ret.), former Commander, Air Combat Command
Lockheed Martin has invested an undisclosed amount of funding into start-up Red 6, a developer of augmented reality flight training and dogfighting software for use in a purpose-built helmet-mounted headset during flight. The Santa Monica, California-based company plans to use the funds to speed up development and commercialisation of its Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS), it said on 17 June.
Retired fighter pilot Dan Robinson and his team at Red 6 are working to revolutionize the way military pilots train for air combat, and possibly much more,
The air refueling probe moves alarmingly close to our heads as we inch carefully into position beneath the tail of a Boeing KC-46A flying over California’s coastal range. Off the tanker’s right wing, a Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jostles to stay in formation, making for an impressive sight. Maneuvering in flight this close to any object is an unusual experience, but what makes this particularly special is that, despite the apparent realism, neither of the aircraft I …
A startup led by retired fighter pilot Dan Robinson is developing augmented reality technology to revolutionize the way U.S. Air Force pilots train for combat.
Augmented reality, or AR, differs significantly from virtual reality in that, instead of immersing the user in a technologically imagined world, augmented reality users are viewing their real-world physical environment while objects are superimposed against it. Think “Pokémon GO” on anabolic steroids.
“A Santa Monica, CA based start- up, Red 6, has announced a $1.5M development grant from AFWERX (the US Air Force tech incubator) to use augmented reality to solve what co-founder and CEO Dan Robinson calls “the military’s multi-billion dollar pain point.” The USAF alone is over 2,000 pilots short and is spending billions of dollars per year to providing adversary air-to-air training through the same expensive, dangerous and costly mock dogfights used for training in WWI.”
Lockheed Martin Ventures — the defense company’s technology startup investment arm — has backed two companies through separate avenues announced this week. In a release Tuesday, quantum computing company IonQ said it grew its total fundraising amount to $84 million through a new Series B round that represents its second significant round of investments since the 2015 founding with $2 million in seed money.
By helping to solve the challenges of using AR outdoors and in dynamic environments, Robinson’s team at Red 6 is not only helping the military, but they’re helping to provide answers to questions about an emerging technology that is sure to impact countless areas of our lives.
Imagine you’re a new military pilot about to refuel in the air, the first time on your own without the instructor. You’re flying in formation with a KC-46 tanker and in preparation for refueling, you slow down slightly and drop back behind the tanker, which still looms large in your view. The refueling drogue hangs from the tail of the tanker, beckoning you to move forward and capture it in the receptacle on the nose of your jet…
“We have carefully positioned ourselves to fill a gap that no one else has filled.” Red 6 is advancing AR technology to meet the urgent demand for more efficient and effective jet fighter pilot training, reports Group Editor Marty Kauchak.”
“The ability to train top U.S. military aviators in air-to-air combat usually requires pilots acting as opposing aerial fighters. Representing the enemy in training dogfights is quite costly and dangerous, says Daniel Robinson, RAF (Ret.). Robinson, co-founder and CEO of Red6 Aerospace, developed an augmented reality platform, called Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System, known as A-TARS, that creates virtual opponents, such as the Chinese J-20, for pilots to dogfight against.”
“An Air Force-backed augmented-reality company plans to demonstrate airborne technology in November that it says could do away with Red Air training. Red 6 Aerospace’s software simulates enemies that pilots can fight during live flights. Rather than hooking up users to a closed, indoor system, the simulation works outside and adjusts as the user moves, according to creator Dan Robinson…”
“Tyler and Sophia talked with Daniel Robinson of Red6 Aerospace about the future of AR technology for simulating air combat. If you think AR development is challenging, try creating a multiplayer platform that works while flying a Mach 6!”
“Red 6 is a software and hardware development company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) driven high fidelity augmented reality (AR). Founded in 2018 by Dan Robinson, Nick Bicanic, and Glenn Snyder, the company is revolutionizing augmented reality for military training applications worldwide. Here are some questions we asked of CEO Dan Robinson…”
“Integrating virtual and augmented reality technologies into Air Force and overall Department of Defense training could have incredible benefits. Listen as these experts discuss the topic during the 21st Century Information Consumption panel at AFWERX Fusion 2019.”
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