Dirac Labs, a quantum-enabled navigation company, announced Friday that it has joined the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium as an industry affiliate.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison-based spinoff company develops resilient navigation alternatives for autonomous maritime uses.
The company is building a quantum universal positioning system designed to work underwater, underground and in other environments where GPS can be disrupted.
Its membership in the state’s national security research network will bring GPS-independent positioning technology to the consortium.
The consortium, led by the Wisconsin Technology Council, connects universities, technology manufacturers and government to advance defense research and related economic development.
Dirac Labs’ affiliation also supports the expanding Area 52 initiative, which provides the U.S. Navy with a secure area to develop and test autonomous and unmanned technology.
“Area 52 is more than a test range concept, it’s an economic development strategy for the state,” Maggie Brickerman, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, said in a press release.
“When a quantum navigation company spun out of UW–Madison chooses to grow in Wisconsin and contribute to that effort, it validates what we’ve been telling federal partners: the research, the talent, and the industrial base are already here,” Brickerman said.
