ANT LLC, formerly known as Alaska Native Technologies LLC is a tribally-owned information technology firm that specializes in design, develop, service and maintenance activities in support of our nationâs defense. The company is developing a specialized antenna for use on planes and is dabbling in centralized alarm systems for military campuses, headquartered from a regional monitoring center, to detect intruders. The firmâs primary product is a series of gliders operating on the concept of neutral buoyancy, which occurs when the weight of an object is adjusted so that it neither floats nor sinks. The glider does this through a large piston that can both suck water in and push it out. Water pulled in increases density and causes sinking. Water pushed out will lighten the load and causes a rise to the surface. Since the glider has tail fins, the âsee sawâ action also propels it forward. Its brains -- a GPS unit for direction and computer chips that direct a piston engine -- are remote controlled. Initially designed to aid the U.S. Coast Guard in catching trespassing Russian and Japanese fishing vessels, the gliders are equipped with acoustics capable of sensing sound signatures. The signatures of the foreign ships are unique, allowing the glider to correctly identify their presence. But as the project evolved, new uses emerged. The glider can also detect mines, marine mammals and swimmers, distinguish temperature variances, and avoid objects. ANT believes its gliders, which are marketed for use with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and in oceanography, are better than similar contraptions on the market, including some operating as part of the oil spill response in the Gulf of Mexico. The ANT design is more adaptable in variable currents and in the changing salt content of water found in coastal regions where currents inte
