Keeping
the world’s international waters safe demands that decision makers
have access to the best tactical information in the most challenging
environments. Insitu, through its collaboration with Hood Technologies
and Sentient, is excited to announce that it will incorporate the ViDAR
(Visual Detection and Ranging) payload into its fleet of unmanned systems,
beginning with its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft. ViDAR is a wide area
autonomous detection system for electro-optic imagery in the maritime
domain. In addition to cueing ScanEagle’s primary camera turret,
the payload gives operators who typically must rely on larger, more
expensive aircraft to detect objects in the ocean a smaller, more cost-effective
solution. |
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The software
that runs the ViDAR payload was developed in Australia by Sentient Vision
Systems, and was built into a ScanEagle payload by Hood Technologies
of Hood River, OR. Sentient and Insitu are pleased to confirm the signing
of an exclusive global distribution agreement for the ViDAR software
for unmanned systems within the small UAS weight class.
“For two decades, Insitu has been at the forefront of customer-inspired
innovation,” said Don Williamson, Insitu’s vice president
of the ScanEagle product line. “Adding ViDAR’s capability
to ScanEagle demonstrates our focus on continuing to deliver mission-critical
technology for our global customer’s maritime ISR needs.”
“Insitu, Hood Technologies and Sentient have collaborated to bring
this capability to airborne maritime operators,” said Simon Olsen,
Sentient’s Director of Business Development, Strategy and Partnerships.
“The experience Insitu brings to tactical maritime UAS operations
makes them the perfect partner to help provide a better solution to
airborne maritime customers.”
ViDAR fits a modular slice on ScanEagle that comprises a large backplane
digital video camera that continuously scans the ocean in a 180-degree
arc in front of the air vehicle. Sentient’s ViDAR software then
autonomously detects any object on the surface of the ocean, providing
the ground control station with an image and location coordinate of
each object detected in real time. The primary sensor can then be cross-cued
to the object by simply clicking on the image. In demonstrations, ViDAR
has autonomously detected a fishing vessel at 14 nm, a fast boat at
more than 9 nm and even the spout of a whale at 1.5 nm from the aircraft.
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