The NTTC BMDO Washington Operations has been involved with transferring technologies out of defense research laboratories and into the marketplace where they are used for other purposes. One success story involves an image analysis technology that was originally developed to help the military recognize and zero in on potential targets through automated electronic analysis and rapid data processing. The technology transfer resulted in a new company and a new process that will be used to save women's lives through early diagnosis of breast cancer. The new process is a hybrid of optical and digital processing. Low-power lasers and lenses are used to examine a mammographic image.
Special equipment uses photons instead of electrons to perform calculations to detect abnormalities.
That information is then transmitted to a computer with special software that assesses the specific attributes of breast abnormalities. The developments will lead to image analysis in less than a minute, transmission to another radiologist for a second opinion and then storage in a central location. The quick process, analysis and later access for image comparisons will lead to saving lives and costs. The NTTC BMDO Washington Operations successfully engineered the relationships that led to the transfer of the technology. As a result, the same technology that will be used to help diagnose breast cancer has already been successfully used on military helicopters for identification of camouflaged ground vehicles.