High Tech Cyber Lab Opens at WestGate

ODON - The Bloomington-based Indiana Innovation Institute has opened a laboratory at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park in Odon to serve as a connection for academia and entrepreneurs to the national defense pipeline and other non-military applications.

IN3 says the Cyber Physical Systems lab offers state-of-the-art equipment and expertise to assist developers and researchers to turn concepts into working prototypes.

IN3 Executive Vice President of Science and Technology Bill Kiser says CyPhy Lab should benefit engineers from NWSC Crane and smaller companies that might lack crucial resources to build and test their ideas.

“A four- or five-person company might not have hundreds of thousands of dollars to put into equipment, resources and facilities, but they are smart, and they have a great idea for a product,” said Kiser. “If they want to build a prototype and test, this is a great place to do it.”

Kiser says the goal is to increase collaboration and reduce barriers in creating deployed solutions for the defense, government and national intelligence, and commercial sectors.

Users of the lab will also have access to staff from the NavalX Midwest Tech Bridge, who have space at WestGate@Crane Tech park.

The U.S. Navy launched a series of these facilities across the U.S. two years ago to enhance collaboration between Naval Labs, industry, and academia.

“It will be exciting to see where IN3 takes this,” said Anne Fields, Midwest Tech Bridge regional director. “I’m really interested to see all of the partners from this area leverage this space and become part of the CyPhy Lab community. That’s what it’s all about – our ecosystem partners solving tough problems faced by our warfighters.”

Kiser says in addition to providing solutions for warfighters, the networked devices created in the lab could find their way into non-military applications, such as home security, smart cities and utility systems.

Learn more about the CyPhy lab by watching this video.