ABB, a leader in electrification and automation technology, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Canadian-based Real Tech, a supplier of optical sensor technology that enables real-time water monitoring and testing. Real Tech has more than 10,000 installed solutions in municipal water and wastewater, along with other industries, and will add to ABB’s presence in the water management segment. The transaction is expected to close in Q1 2024. The financial terms were not disclosed. WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — Kopin Corporation, a provider of micro-displays and optical solutions, has received a $20.5 million contract to provide a new thermal weapon sight eyepiece configuration for a Department of Defense prime contractor. The contractor will integrate the sight components into a video “see-through” augmented reality weapon system. Under the terms of the contract, Kopin is authorized to procure up to approximately $9 million of materials until the new weapon sight eyepiece configuration is fully qualified, at which time the remaining contract balance will become effective. HAWTHORNE, Calif. — OSI Systems’ security division was granted a $59 million contract from a customer in the Europe, the Middle east, and Africa (EMEA) region to provide various cargo and vehicle inspection platforms. As part of the award, the vertically integrated electronic systems manufacturer is expected to integrate the inspection systems into a national command center via its CertScan integration platform and provide maintenance, training, and service support. CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Nuburu, Inc., a developer of blue lasers for industrial applications, has received a deficiency letter from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) indicating that the company is not in compliance with continued listing standards. The NYSE has determined that shares of the company's common stock have been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period of time. NUBURU intends to monitor the price of its common stock and consider available options if it does not demonstrate sustained price improvement by the June 28 deadline set by the NYSE. PALO ALTO, Calif. — Quantum computing company PsiQuantum was awarded a contract with DARPA to continue work on the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program, which seeks to determine whether an underexplored approach to quantum computing is capable of achieving utility-scale operation much faster than conventional predictions. Having completed the year-long first phase of the multi-year, multi-phase project, PsiQuantum will focus on developing a fault-tolerant prototype and pursue intermediate milestones monitored by DARPA. The Big Sky Camera system uses an 18K sensor to capture content that can be projected on the Sphere Arena’s interior. Courtesy of Sphere Entertainment Co. BURBANK, Calif. — Sphere Entertainment Co. has released details on its work with STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor company, to create the world's largest image sensor for Sphere's Big Sky camera system, which is being used to capture content for the Sphere Arena in Las Vegas. The 18K, 316-MP sensor is capable of capturing images at the scale and fidelity necessary for the Sphere’s 160,000-sq-ft, 16 × 16K display and can capture images at 120 fps while transferring data at 60 Gb/s. The camera also allows filmmakers to capture large-format images from a single camera without having to stitch content together from multiple cameras. Sphere Studios has so far filed ten patents related to Big Sky. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Molecular engineering and microfluidics company Bifrost Biosystems has launched, born out of the work conducted by cofounders Johan Paulsson and Paul Blainey at the Broad Institute, Johan Elf at Uppsala University in Sweden, and George Church. The startup is a subcontractor on a $104 million multi-institutional project funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health studying bacterial behavior and antibiotic resistance. The company has also received a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract worth up to $1.5 million from DARPA. The project aims to extend and optimize the company’s Optical Pooled Screening Platform technology, which integrates image-based single-cell profiling data with genome-wide CRISPR perturbations, to efficiently identify potential microbial threats to human health. GREENSBORO, N.C. — Raytheon has qualified IQE’s North Carolina site for the manufacture of epitaxial wafers for use in advanced infrared sensing and imaging. IQE will provide Raytheon with a secure supply of infrared photodetector epiwafers to bolster national security and domestic supply chains. The companies will continue R&D collaborations on infrared sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications. A demonstration of the Innersight3D software modeling a torso. Courtesy of KARL STORZ. TUTTLINGEN, Germany — KARL STORZ, a provider of endoscopy systems, medical devices, and integrated solutions for surgical applications, has acquired software startup Innersight Labs Ltd. Innersight’s Innersight3D software allows surgeons to create a patient-specific interactive 3D model from a medical scan. Innersight Labs will work closely with surgical robotics-focused subsidiary KARL STORZ VentureOne. The parties have agreed to not disclose the purchase price. SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Wide bandgap power semiconductor materials company Sanan Semiconductor has named Luminus Devices as its exclusive sales channel in the Americas. The partnership follows completion of Sanan's $2 billion “Megafab” in Changsha, China, which will enable lead times as low as eight weeks for most products, the company said. Sanan plans to focus on foundry services to support already established semiconductor companies who need a secure supply of silicon carbide substrates, epi wafers, or bare die. Sanan has begun construction on another Megafab, expected to more than double its capacity by early 2025. MENLO PARK, Calif. — Deepcell, a developer of AI-powered single-cell analysis, has entered into a research collaboration with NVIDIA in which Deepcell will incorporate NVIDIA AI into its single-cell analysis technology. Deepcell plans to apply NVIDIA’s computing expertise and the NVIDIA Clara suite to codevelop novel algorithms for cell image analysis. The collaboration is expected to yield AI models that optimally leverage state-of-the-art architectures and algorithms along with multimodal and multiomic data sets, thereby enhancing the generation of novel biological insights.