A short while back, our team at the Joint Interagency Field Experimentation (JIFX) were effectively working away on a whirlwind of innovation, collaboration, and growth for our team at Hadean. As we look back on our time at Camp Roberts, California, it’s not just the technological advancements that stand out, but also the incredible experiences shared by the team as we pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in spatial computing and synthetic environments.
Pushing the Boundaries of Technology
Our primary focus during JIFX was on deploying and testing several technologies in real-time, high-pressure environments. From blending virtual with live sensor data for counter-unmanned aerial systems (CUAS) use cases to simulating drone swarms for autonomous planning and decision support, our tech capabilities were put to the test.
In just short of a week’s time, with a small team of four, we’ve achieved the following:
- AR Output Integration: We successfully integrated both live and synthetic data (including over 300,000 PoLi entities and physical terrain models) into an AR environment, providing unprecedented situational awareness.
- Increased VR Engagement: More participants than ever engaged with our VR demonstrations, highlighting the growing interest and applicability of immersive technologies in this field.
- Gantz-Mountain Integration: Our collaboration with Gantz-Mountain Intelligence allowed for real-time ingestion of Cursor on Target (CoT) data, enriching our synthetic environments with actionable, live data.
- Autonomous Drone Swarm Simulation: We further developed our drone swarm simulation capabilities, focusing on autonomous planning, training, and live decision-support scenarios.
- Firsts in Doctrine Checking and ADS-B Integration: Notably, we achieved the first civil application of our Doctrine Checker tool and successfully integrated ADS-B data into our platform
Beyond the Tech – Experience from our team members
While the technological achievements were significant, the true heart of the week was the team’s journey. Each member of the Hadean team grew in their roles, faced challenges head-on, and contributed to the evolving capabilities of our platform. We wanted to capture the experience from Tanvi Rana, a Research Engineer Intern within the innovation team that was present for the week, so we had her write about her experience.
It was incredibly rewarding to see all our hard work in the office come to life in such a real and dynamic environment. We were totally immersed in the experience—imagine this: a plane flies overhead, you can see it outside, hear the pilot talking to air traffic control on the radio, and then boom, the plane shows up in Poli thanks to ADS-B. It was like the real world and our synthetic environment were perfectly synced.
It was also eye-opening to see others at the experiment grappling with the very challenges Hadean is working to solve. Things like data not being in the right format for COPERS and interface issues that could discourage drone providers. It really reinforced the importance of our focus on interoperability and the ease and speed of integration.
Being there in person sparked a ton of new ideas too. There were animals all over the base, which got us talking about how we could simulate wildlife in our synthetic environments. Then we visited the CACTF—a model village for combat training—and started brainstorming how AR could let you see our simulated entities moving around while you’re literally standing in the same space. How awesome would that be?
Having the stakeholders there was another major plus. Getting their immediate feedback was super valuable, and they were really into our features. We had some great conversations about using our synthetic social media feed for deeper insights or pairing the doctrine checker with real and simulated sensor data for air traffic control
And of course, spending a whole week with the team, travelling together, and sharing these experiences was a lot of fun!
Reflections and Looking Forward
JIFX was not just about showcasing our technology—it was about learning, adapting, and growing as a team. The week was filled with excitement, challenges, and a shared sense of accomplishment. As we reflect on our achievements and experiences, we are energised and ready to tackle the next steps in our journey.
Connect with Us
If you have any questions or want to learn more about our work at JIFX, feel free to reach out. We’re always excited to share what we’re building and how we’re shaping the future of technology.