Objective:

To provide research and development and consulting services to help government and commercial customers solve challenging problems in the area of acoustics, and to transition the resulting technologies into successful products.

Leadership Statement:

Red Tail Hawk (RTH) Corporation has been providing services in acoustics in general, and particularly active noise control (ANC), for government and commercial customers since September of 2000. The ANC systems RTH has developed have been used to solve noise-exposure/communications problems, improve hearing aid functionality, and provide active termination impedances for underwater waveguides used to calibrate intensity sensors. These ANC systems have employed digital feedforward and analog feedback control circuitry, reflecting our broad expertise in ANC systems. Our principal acoustical engineers have Ph.D. degrees in acoustics and both graduate-school and commercial experience in ANC systems, while our electrical engineers have designed commercial high-end test equipment, and our mechanical engineer is a designated engineering representative for the FAA. Due to our in-depth knowledge and practical experience, RTH has been able to provide its customers with creative, effective, and practical solutions. RTH is currently in the process of patenting multiple enabling technologies developed to date and is generating specific plans to commercialize these technologies in the future.

Mission

RTH is a research and development firm dedicated to developing new technologies in acoustics. By partnering with us, the customer will have access to expertise in technologies related to active noise control systems---including analog-feedback, digital-feedback, and digital-feedforward systems--- such as electro-acoustic transducers, communications devices, and hearing protection devices. We have expertise in many additional technical areas including room acoustics, noise abatement, acoustics modeling, analog instrumentation circuit design, microcontroller programming and digital hardware design, semiconductor design, manufacturing, mechanical design... The multi-talented nature of our employees allows us to provide the customer with innovative solutions to the most demanding acoustics problems. In addition, RTH considers it a primary goal to provide a challenging and rewarding work environment and one where the employees have a great mutual respect for one another; this healthy environment, we believe, leads to a more creative team.

Company Vision

Our goal at RTH is to construct a manufacturing facility, under a spin-off company, that will produce products employing technologies currently being developed. In 5 years, we envision a $5M business selling hearing protection and communications products for the aviation environment. In addition, RTH as the parent company will continue to function as a research and development firm, developing new commercial products, and providing services to governmental agencies and commercial companies.

Core Competencies

Our employees include two acousticians with Ph.D. degrees, a resident designated engineering representative (DER) of the FAA, and two electrical engineers. Our on-site DER is also a private pilot with over 12 years of experience in designing electro/mechanical systems for aircraft. The technical expertise at RTH includes ANC systems, noise abatement systems, hearing protection devices, communications devices, room acoustics, transducers, acoustic modeling, semiconductor design, instrumentation amplifiers, digital signal processing, microcontroller programming, digital hardware design… This unique blend of expertise makes RTH particularly qualified for conducting R&D on aircraft projects involving ANC and noise abatement. The facilities at RTH include instrumentation microphones, artificial head test fixtures, a diffuse-field room, anechoic chamber, spectrum analyzers, prototype electronics equipment, lock-in amplifiers, and other electronics test equipment. This equipment enables RTH to design, build, and test our active control devices “in house,” and not rely on subcontractors for testing purposes, which significantly improves the efficiency of the research and development work. In addition, RTH has all the expertise and tools for electronics design and prototyping, again enabling quick and efficient development of prototype designs.

Customers

RTH has provided R&D services to the Navy, Air Force, Army, and National Institutes for Health as well as consulting services to Acoustech Corporation, Lockheed, CRELL, and SLEEP Inc. RTH has provided state-of-the-art ANC systems for many of its customers including: an active impedance termination for a fluid waveguide, ANC earmuffs, ANC communications earplugs, and an ANC hearing aid. These systems are in use today, or are currently being evaluated.

Manufacturing Partner

RTH has partnered with Aearo Technologies (a 3M company) to provide manufacturing, marketing, and sales of products developed by RTH. Aearo owns Peltor, AOsafety, EAR, and SafeWaze. Each of these companies specializes in personal protection products. Hence, Aearo is perfectly suited to handle our hearing protection and communications devices.

Company Profile

Red Tail Hawk (RTH) Corporation is owned and operated by Dr. John W. Parkins and David C. Parkins, who established the company in September of 2000 to solve recognized problems in the area of acoustics and aircraft noise. The company is located in Ithaca, NY. Our accountant specializes in managing small business innovative research (SBIR) accounts, ensuring that all government accounting requirements are met.

RTH specializes in active noise control (ANC) technology to solve noise-abatement problems for government and commercial customers. President John Parkins has a Ph.D. in Acoustics as well as 15 years of experience in ANC research and product development at Penn State University and Bose Corporation, the world leader in commercial ANC products. Dr. Parkins’ Ph.D. dissertation involved using digital feedforward ANC to quiet aircraft interiors. Dr. Parkins also worked at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, designing electronic systems for an airborne testbed. Vice President David Parkins is a licensed professional engineer with 12 years of experience in aircraft deicing system problem solving, has a M.Eng. degree in mechanical engineering, is a licensed FAA designated engineering representative and a private pilot owning a Piper Cherokee aircraft. This combination of expertise and experience makes RTH uniquely qualified to solve problems related to hearing protection and communications devices for Navy, Air Force and commercial aircraft customers. The engineers at RTH understand the intricacies and subtleties associated with ANC systems. Thus, we are very well-suited to solve our customers’ acoustics problems. Our staff of 5 veteran acoustical, electrical, and mechanical engineers have extensive experience in ANC systems, acoustical modeling, control systems, semiconductor design, mechanical design, and electronics design.

Leveraging the skills and experience of this exceptional team, RTH has begun the patent process and is developing commercialization strategies for 3 technologies resulting from our development efforts in the area of ANC. One RTH patent, “Adaptive Feedback Controller with Open-Loop Transfer Function Reference Suited for Applications Such as Active Noise Control,” (No. 6,665,410) was awarded in December of 2003, and describes a new adaptive ANC feedback technique which constantly optimizes the performance of an ANC system. The other technologies being patented will be implemented in our first products and are proprietary at this time.