Laser device offers alternative to video surveillance
The laser scans many points per second, detects small changes
The field of view is divided into 10 billion pointing locations
TESTS PERFORMED at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, and at the Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, have shown LBIMS (a surveillance device named Laser-Based Item Monitoring System) to be relatively impervious to various attacks designed to foil the system.
The technology for the device has been developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Various applications
The Joint Research Center is involved in the development and testing of highly sophisticated laser scanning systems for a variety of applications.
The LBIMS balances the need for high-resolution monitoring and personal safety with respect for confidentiality and personal privacy.
This is especially important today with heightened emphasis on security and privacy and is possible because the system does not use video.
Using low-cost reflective tags placed on objects, LBIMS maps the precise location of high-value items.
The laser can scan many points per second and can detect small changes — less than a centimetre — in the reflected signal, meaning tampering can be immediately detected.
The precision of the system is made possible by a high-resolution two-axis laser scanner capable of looking at a 60-degree field of view in 0.0005-degree increments, dividing the field of view into more than 10 billion individual pointing locations.
A camera with comparable resolution over the same field of view would require a 10,000-megapixel detector.
While other surveillance or monitoring products may include some of the features of the LBIMS technology, none provides its combination of capabilities.
For example, in addition to being undesirable for the aforementioned privacy and security reasons, video with comparable resolution would be prohibitively expensive and impractical.
Scattered light
Existing light detection and ranging (lidar) systems, which use scattered light, are optimised for detecting human-sized objects.
They offer angular resolution of only about 0.15 degree compared to the 0.0005-degree angular resolution of LBIMS. — Our Bureau
Printer friendly
page Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
