"In war there is no substitute for victory."
General Douglas MacArthur

We are very proud to announce that
CANVS was selected to participate
in the 1999 ACT II Program:

Battle Lab: Dismounted Battlespace Battle Lab
Topic: 99-DIS-01
Sub-Section: Soldier Lethality
Title: "Dismounted Color Night Vision Systems"

The Advanced Concepts and Technology II Program identifies mature technologies supporting specific Army needs. Successful demonstrations may be selected for expedited acquisition or funded through other Army R&D programs.

ACT II is sponsored by the Army Chief of Staff and the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research Development, and Acquisition). The Army Research Office- Washington (ARO-W) executes the program with the Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), the Army Material Command (AMC), and the other material developing commands. Together these organizations forge partnerships between the Army, Industry, and academia.

TRADOC Battle Labs provide an environment for soldiers and units to experiment with new technologies and doctrine to shape the future battlefield.

Explore the Battle Labs with the clickable URL map:

BattleLab Locations

Leading Edge Technology for the Soldier

An excerpt from the 1997 ACT II Accomplishments Booklet by

Major General John S. Caldwell, Jr.

Deputy Chief of Staff for Research,
Development, and Acquisition,
U.S. Army Material Command

Today's rapid technology advancements challenge the Army to keep pace with breathtaking developments that will most greatly benefit our soldiers. The Army relies on the Advanced Concepts and Technology II (ACT II) Program to do just that. ACT II is unique within the Department of Defense in that it allows the Army's Battle Labs to rapidly access new technologies and demonstrate meaningful solutions within a year or less.

ACT II competitively selects industry's innovations, prototypes, and non-developmental items for operational demonstrations and assessment. Using a novel two-stage selection process that minimizes the burden on industry, the program solicits simple two-page concepts responding to topics published by the Army. Only firms providing the most promising concepts are invited to submit full proposals.

The following text is an excerpt from the 1999 ACT II Accomplishments Booklet :

Canvs Corporation has demonstrated a series of approaches for producing color night vision devices based on existing technologies and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. These demonstrations dramatically illustrated the increased and new operational capabilities offered by color night vision systems. A robust, repeatable, meaningful color night vision system extends operational capabilities in ways heretofore unavailiable to the DBBL community. Color contrast, in conjunction with the traditionally exploited intensity contrast characteristics of night vision goggles, provides a real extension of the overall warfighting capability. Earlier positive target identification capabilities not only increase the soldier's lethality but also enhance the safety aspects of dismounted operations by helping reduce the probability of fratricide. An obvious example of a safety-related issue is the ability to determina and distinguish between friendly and enemy uniform and vehicle markings. (99-DBBL-063)

Click here for some ACT-II imagery!

CANVS is pleased to announce that on 03JUL02 it was awarded
a United States Special Operations Command SBIR contract.

USSOCOM FY2002.1 SBIR
Subsection: Sensors
Topic Number: SOCOM 02-001
Title: Multi-Spectral Low-Light Imaging

CANVS CORPORATION: AN SBIR SUCCESS STORY
The following is an excerpt from
The National SBIR Phase-II Conference 2005 web page

Image of CANVS' Helmut mounted goggle CNVS-4949

Company Background

CANVS Corporation was founded was in order to produce Color Night Vision systems for the armed forces. According to the company website, CANVS continues to "push the operational envelope of all relevant technologies in order to maintain a tactical overmatch capability for America's night operations." The company is currently based in Coral Gables, Florida.

Innovative Technology Developed

Under an SBIR grant from SOCOM, CANVS developed a multi-spectral low-light imaging product in three sets of color night vision goggles. The imaging system employs I² tubes utilizing proprietary modifications to image intensifier tubes. The goggles are optimized to present more lifelike color under moderate illumination conditions, and better contrast under all conditions. Goggle prototypes with independent variable gain for each channel can be used on an ANVIS compatible helmet. These goggles provide improved target acquisition and identification capabilities during periods of darkness and better situation awareness/operational safety under night and adverse weather conditions.

DoD Implementation and Commercialization Summary

Following the SBIR Phase II effort, the technology transitioned to the Special Operations Science and Technology program for further development. WARCOM has identified a critical need for this technology. Three goggles were delivered: one to SOC Europe and two to NAVSPECWARCOM. Six additional goggles were purchased during the Phase-II, one by NVESD, and five by a non-DoD U.S. Government customer. The United States Martial Service deployed the goggles as part of the protection package at the Republican National Convention in New York City, and at the Democratic convention in Boston.

"In war there is no substitute for victory."General Douglas MacArthur