TiaLinx's Cougar20-H surveillance robot can peer through walls, see you breathe
You may be able to outrun it, but you probably won't be able to hide from TiaLinx's new Cougar20-H surveillance robot. While it might not look like much, the bot packs an impressive RF array that's not only able to detect movement within a building (though concrete walls, no less), but is even able to detect a person breathing inside a building at "long standoff distances." Perhaps not surprisingly, complete details are largely being kept under wraps (the bot was developed with some help from the U.S. Army), but this isn't simply a prototype -- it'll be rolling out next month and is expected to be put to use byvarious law enforcement and government agencies. Head on past the break for the official press release.
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TiaLinx, Inc. Announces Launch of the Cougar20-H, a Mini-Robot with a Long Standoff Capability to Detect Motion and Breathing Inside a Compound
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TiaLinx, Inc., a developer of a remotely controlled mini-robot integrated with mm-wave miniaturized radars, today announced the launch of the Cougar20-H. The mini-robot system is capable of performing dual functions as motion detection as well as probing for the breathing of a person in a compound that is remotely controlled at long standoff distances.
The lightweight and agile mini-robot with tractable arm has been integrated with TiaLinx's fine beam ultra-wideband (UWB), multi-Gigahertz radio frequency (RF) sensor array. The system provides long standoff surveillance of a premise to track movement as well as to detect motionless live objects. TiaLinx's real-time UWB RF Imaging development was sponsored by an SBIR Phase II from the Army's PEO AMMO, PM-CCS.
Through a software-controlled interface which is integrated into a laptop, Cougar20-H can be remotely guided from long distances to perform mission-critical tasks. Integrated multiple cameras allow day and night visibility of a premise under surveillance for enhanced situational awareness. Capability to probe the compound at standoff keeps the Cougar20-H out of harm's way.
The RF Scanner is mounted on a lightweight arm and transmits wideband signals that are highly directional and can penetrate reinforced concrete wall at an extended range. In the receiver, a signal detector circuit is employed to capture the reflections from targets. Amplitude and delay information are then processed in an integrated signal processor.
"Cougar20-H has the capability to sense-through-the-wall (STTW) at farther distances than Cougar10-L that was launched last month. Cougar20-H can also be remotely programmed at multiple way points to scan the desired premise in a multi-story building and provide its layout. In contrast only Cougar10-L is capable of scanning a premise horizontally for unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as vertically to STTW," commented Dr. Fred Mohamadi, Founder and CEO of TiaLinx. "TiaLinx is constantly upscaling its UWB RF Imaging core competence to enable standoff sensing of a premise for enhanced situational awareness."
About TiaLinx, Inc.
TiaLinx, Inc. is a privately held company that develops advanced electronic modules with very small form factor, highly integrated functionality and advanced performance for a wide range of military and commercial applications. Utilizing its 37 granted patents and many more pending patent applications specifically related to the on-chip and wafer-scale beamforming and phased arrays and high-power miniature V-band power amplifiers and transmitters, the Company is uniquely positioned to supply robust RF Imaging devices economically by enabling revolutionary advancements in semiconductor and sub-system designs. Since 2006, TiaLinx has received 7 Phase II and CPP awards from various government agencies.
TiaLinx was ranked as one of the top 3 companies performing advanced research projects sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) during the DARPATech 2005.
The Company was selected as recipient of the U.S. Army's Commercial Pilot Program award in 2009. Twenty-five companies were selected out of the 487 recipients of the Phase II awards. Within the top twenty-five companies selected, TiaLinx was the only recipient with the advanced radio frequency imaging technology for sense-through-the-wall applications.
TiaLinx was also the recipient of the 2010 Defense News Technology and Innovation Award for its Eagle5-P product selected by a panel of experts who recognized recent advances in defense technologies by U.S. companies and defense agencies. In all, the panel considered more than 80 nominations of products that came to market last year.
In December 2010, VME and Critical Systems recognized the high-power V-band transmitter and receiver of TiaLinx as Editor's Product of Choice.
For further information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.TiaLinx.com.
