Smart through-wall radar gives new tactical advantages to police, special forces and emergency services
- tracks multiple subjects to give high-level location intelligence in dangerous or time-critical situations
Today, Cambridge Consultants launches ‘prism200’, a compact 'through-wall' radar sensing device which gives security forces a means of reducing the enormous risks involved in tactical entry, and siege or hostage situations.
The product, which is the size of a briefcase and can be carried and used with one hand, employs sophisticated software to evaluate the position and movement of people in rooms and buildings. The product is highly valuable in a number of situations where it would be otherwise impossible to gain such intelligence. Capable of working to distances of up to 20 metres, it provides users such as police and special forces with answers to two key questions which guide their choice of tactics: "Is anyone behind this wall?", and, "What is the pattern of activity inside this building?"
prism200 incorporates three advances that make through-wall radar technology a highly practical proposition for security personnel: a radar device that is battery-powered and highly portable; smart radar signal processing that senses human movement and position - even in difficult environments with lots of reflecting surfaces; and meaningful data presentation in forms to suit the user, including plan, elevation or 3D views.
This product launch follows the production of a prototype in 2005, which Cambridge Consultants has demonstrated in countries around the world. The feedback gained from police, special forces and emergency service personnel has helped the company develop and package the technology to suit potential users, and numerous advance orders for prism200 have already been placed.
"To commercialise this technology, we've talked to the spectrum of potential users and spent over a year refining the hardware and creating a man-machine interface that provides critical intelligence in an intuitive form", says Alan Wiltshire, Product Manager. "The result is a 'switch on and go' unit that can instantly deliver high-level location information that helps tip the balance in favour of security operatives in a broad range of dangerous or time-critical situations.”
prism200 will monitor several subjects and track movement, even in difficult environments such as offices, with their angular surfaces and metal objects which can act like a 'hall of mirrors' to a normal radar. Cambridge Consultants' advanced signal processing software is designed to distinguish moving people from these reflections, distilling vital information that can help observers to determine the real situation inside a building, and what is the best position and time for a tactical entry.
The position of each subject is clearly indicated on the screen, and people can be tracked as they move, to build information on behaviour and room layout. Users can choose to see this information in plan, side elevation or 3-dimensional views, or all three simultaneously. When using the 3D view, the user's viewpoint can also be rotated. This feature could be used to understand clearly where a subject would be, or appear from, as forces enter the space from a particular point.
Such intelligence can help security personnel dealing with extremely dangerous people and situations, such as terrorists and hostage taking. In the case of a siege, the radar allows an observer to build a picture of location and movement patterns inside a building. For this application, multiple prism200s can be linked by an Ethernet network, if required, with information transmitted to a remote PC.
The radar antennas inside are arranged in such a way that prism200 has an extremely wide field of view: 120 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. When combined with the range of the radar, which may be user-selected in four steps up to 20 metres, this provides comprehensive coverage of interior spaces.
During operation, context-sensitive icons are displayed underneath the radar screen, to provide the operator with a one-touch means of changing key parameters such as the type of view, or range.
prism200 can be held against a wall or mounted on a tripod in a 'stand off' position. The radar uses ultra-wide band (UWB) radar pulses that pass easily through standard building materials including bricks, blocks, concrete, timber, plaster, tiles etc. The radiated power is very low and the unit is inherently safe to use.
The ergonomics of the finished radar unit has been a key focus of the development process. The packaged system measures just 210 x 300 x 450 mm and weighs 5.4 kg, which includes a lithium-ion battery pack that provides power for over three hours of continuous use. Featuring two large grips, the unit is easily carried by a security service worker or soldier and is designed for right- and left-handed operators. In addition, it can be put into use almost instantly: all that's required to start monitoring is a single push of a button, with the embedded system displaying results within two seconds on the built-in 640 x 480 pixel colour display. Users can select colour schemes optimised for use in day or night situations.
A video of the system in use may be viewed at www.CambridgeConsultants.com/prism200
Notes to Editors
Technical notes on Cambridge Consultants' through-wall radar
prism 200 is an 'impulse radar', which operates by transmitting a very short pulse and then listening for echoes from objects that the pulse bounces off. The system operates with a 100 Hz frequency (100 pulses/second), providing a fast update rate.
prism 200 uses ultra wide band (UWB) principles, in a band around the 2 GHz region - a moderately low frequency that is a good compromise between being able to penetrate solid materials, but requiring antennas that are small enough to allow the system to be both compact and portable. This frequency means that the transmitted wavelength is physically short enough to allow it to penetrate some reinforced structures which have steel grids embedded in concrete.
The radar uses an array of antennas. These allow the system to accurately measure the angle of arrival of echo signal returns, yielding information that provides both horizontal and vertical data so that 3D positions can be determined. The use of UWB technology makes the system very good at resolving the distance of objects.
Fast digital signal processing is performed on the echo results to distinguish between objects which are static, such as furniture, and objects that move. The system achieves this by maintaining a memory of background signals and observing changes above and beyond that database.
Cambridge Consultants has also developed a sophisticated layer of signal processing which effectively enhances the contrast between real human subjects and secondary reflections that return via an indirect path. Much of the value of the system lies in this software layer, as a person or persons often need to be distinguished from a myriad of reflections - or clutter. Real world environments such as offices can present major problems like this, due to their angular surfaces and use of strong reflecting materials such as metal.
About Cambridge Consultants
Cambridge Consultants has, for over 40 years, enabled its clients to turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. We develop breakthrough products, create and license intellectual property, and provide business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. With a team of over 250 engineers, scientists and consultants, in offices in Cambridge (UK) and Boston (USA), we are able to offer solutions across a diverse range of industries including MedTech, industrial and consumer products, automotive, transport, energy and wireless communications.
