RALEIGH – WISER Systems, a startup based out of Raleigh that provides real-time asset tracking in any environment, is among the top 25 semifinalists in NASA’s global iTech Competition.
It’s the only North Carolina-based company to make the semifinals and joins a class of entrants that come as far as Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
“WISER’s entry in the competition proposed new applications of real-time localization technology, with use-cases in planet-side and in-craft space operations,” Stephen Taylor, WISER’s communications manager, told WRAL TechWire by email.
NASA iTech is an initiative within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) “to encourage innovative ideas that could provide unique solutions on Earth and in space.”
“NASA iTech is all about fostering innovative ideas from entrepreneurs who otherwise may not have contemplated a space application for their technology,” Kira Blackwell, the NASA iTech program executive for STMD, said in a statement. “We’re delighted to have another strong group of semifinalists with a wide range of possible applications.”
A panel of experts from NASA will further review the top 25 Cycle I semifinalist selections “based on their relevance, likelihood of success and potential positive impact on space exploration and life on Earth.”
The top 10 finalists will be announced sometime after May 28. At which point, they will be invited to present their ideas to NASA leadership, space industry leaders and potential investors at the NASA iTech Cycle I Forum to be held in Pasadena, California from July 10-11..
The top three teams will finally be selected and recognized at the culmination of the forum.
