Mantapoole Technologies is developing a roll-to-roll, manufactured, active multispectral light field (AMLF) micro-optics architecture for applications including autonomous surgery, industrial manufacturing, robotic farming, and real time robot vision.

With the development and proliferation of smart machines that can increasingly autonomously interact with the real work, it is important that these smart machines be increasingly able to make decisions based on real world variables. In order to make these decisions, these smart machines will need the correct amount and type of information and essentially the capabilities of these smart machines are limited by the capabilities of their sensors. In order to address this problem, MantaPoole technologies is developing a next generation imaging solution that can enable machines to see the “what” and “where” of their application in a single camera form factor.

This advanced capability is enabled by the novel optical system MantaPoole Technologies is developing called Plenoptics 3.0. Plenoptics 3.0 will enable the capture of both spectral and depth information without a reduction of the image quality. This advanced imaging solution will enable smart machines to tell what an object is made of, its shape, and where it is.

Mantapoole Technologies is enrolled in ORNL’s Innovation Crossroads program. TAEBC and Launch Tennessee provide non-exclusive business mentoring services to the Innovation Crossroads Innovators.

Innovation Crossroads is a new program based at ORNL that matches aspiring energy entrepreneurs with the experts, mentors, and networks in technology-related fields to take their world-changing ideas from R&D to the marketplace.

The Tennessee Valley Authority joins Innovation Crossroads as a program sponsor enabling an innovator focused on energy-related research. Innovation Crossroads is also sponsored by DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office.

Several entrepreneurs have been selected to transform their ideas into clean energy companies with financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Innovators receive a fellowship that covers living costs, benefits and a travel stipend for up to two years, plus up to $350,000 to use on collaborative research and development at ORNL.