Hollowpoint Posted April 15, 2005 at 05:31 AM Share Posted April 15, 2005 at 05:31 AM Camera Detects Concealed Weapons By PETER LOFTUS DOW JONES NEWSWIRES April 13, 2005; Page B9 PHILADELPHIA -- A technology that can spot distant galaxies is now being aimed at a more terrestrial concern: the detection of concealed weapons. Researchers have designed ways to use "millimeter-wave" cameras, in combination with regular photography, to detect whether a person is hiding a gun, knife or bomb under his clothing, and to pinpoint the location of the object. For years, astronomers have used radio telescopes that rely on millimeter-wave technology. The U.S. Army has funded some of this research with hopes of developing devices that display images showing concealed weapons on civilians or enemy soldiers. The technology also could be used by police, airport security and convenience stores, researchers say. "The idea is, you take a visual image of a scene, and then you take a millimeter-wave image of the same scene, and the millimeter-wave image is able to see guns hidden underneath someone's clothing," said Rick Blum, an electrical-engineering professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., who has done extensive research on so-called image-fusion technology. Making such a device for soldiers in the field still may be several years away, said William Sander, a consultant to the Army Research Office in Durham, N.C., which has funded Mr. Blum's research. But some private firms already have introduced millimeter-wave sensors designed for civilian uses such as office-building security. Brijot Imaging Systems Inc., Orlando, Fla., has licensed millimeter-wave technology from defense giant Lockheed Martin Corp. Brijot is about to begin shipping a camera system, which resembles an oversize personal computer, and spots weapons on people up to 45 feet away. Also, British defense contractor Qinetiq Ltd. has developed a millimeter-wave imaging device for security at airports and other public areas. Qinetiq says it successfully tested a prototype at London's Gatwick Airport in 2002. Millimeter energy-waves radiate naturally from people and some objects. Some inanimate objects, including metals, are poor emitters of millimeter waves . Millimeter-wave sensors work by detecting the contrast between the waves emitted by a person and the low amount emitted by metals near the person. The data can be processed into an image showing a human body in white and any metallic objects in black. The images don't reveal nudity, researchers say. Alone, millimeter-wave cameras can be of limited use because the images they produce can be grainy. So the challenge has been to find a way to fuse the millimeter-wave images with photo images, either still or moving. Such a fusion could produce what appears to be a regular photo or video of a person, but with outlines of a gun, for instance, hidden under a sweatshirt. Fusing such images isn't easy. One difficulty is "registering" two images of the same scene, or properly lining up matching objects in a picture. Mr. Blum has been working on such a method for nearly a decade. He began his research after hearing from police officers who wanted better surveillance technologies to spot armed suspects. Mr. Blum developed software that automatically fuses such images. He has applied for patents for the software, and his technology is being licensed to a start-up firm, SuperVision Technologies Inc., in Bethlehem. The firm was founded by Leopoldo Mayoral, who has run an engineering-consulting firm that has done work for the Defense Department. One scenario that Mr. Mayoral envisions for the technology is convenience-store security. Video and millimeter-wave sensors could be mounted near the store entrance. If the sensors detect a gun hidden beneath a person's clothing, a device could automatically lock the doors. The store clerk could then question the person to try to determine his intent, Mr. Mayoral said. Though Mr. Blum was initially inspired by law-enforcement needs, he has received funding for his research from the Army Research Office. The office has given Mr. Blum grants totaling about $300,000 over the past five years to develop methods to fuse images taken from different sensors, said Mr. Sander, the Army Research Office consultant. The funding is part of the Army's effort to build on technology such as night-vision goggles, and develop devices that fuse images from multiple sources, Mr. Sander said. And the research isn't limited to images. Mr. Sander said the Army is interested in developing acoustic and odor-based sensors, which could help detect the presence of an enemy soldier lying in wait for an ambush. While SuperVision is in early-stage development, Brijot is about to begin shipping its device in June, said Chief Executive Brian Andrew. The device, known as BIS-WDS, sells for about $60,000, and Mr. Andrew says he has received orders totaling more than $100 million. That high price tag is one potential barrier to widespread deployment of millimeter-wave devices. Mr. Mayoral of SuperVision says he hopes to sell a product for $3,000 to $7,000 initially. Brijot's customers are mainly distributors of security products. Users are likely to include security personnel at commercial buildings, Mr. Andrew said. Brijot's device has a video display that can be monitored by security personnel. But it doesn't show any of the actual millimeter-wave image. Instead, it displays a red bracket on the area of a person's body where a weapon is concealed, and flashes the message "gun detected," according to a video demonstration on Brijot's Web site. One advantage of millimeter wave-based devices such as Brijot's is that they are "passive," Mr. Andrew said. This means they don't send radiation through people, so there are no health concerns. Also, they don't require people to walk through an archway metal detector. In fact, they can be used without anyone knowing that a weapons detector is present, Mr. Andrew said. Mr. Andrew doesn't believe there would be any serious legal ramifications of using such a detection system without the knowledge of the people being monitored. He noted that operators of many public and private buildings have the right to refuse entry to anyone carrying a concealed weapon. "If you can put a video-surveillance camera, you can put this up," he said. One privacy rights advocate said millimeter-wave-based security devices should be used with certain safeguards in place. Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego, said that the devices should have built-in mechanisms so they "cannot be used by an operator as a tool for voyeurism." She also thinks the machines shouldn't be used on public streets, and should be limited to buildings or facilities that require heightened security, such as federal office buildings, airports or prisons. GRUß Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr.magnum Posted January 16, 2008 at 07:19 PM Share Posted January 16, 2008 at 07:19 PM Letzter Ausweg Nowosibirsk. Das Jugendamt Gießen hat jetzt den ersten jugendlichen Straftäter in die russische Einöde geschickt. Holzhacken, Gewaltmärsche ? bei 40 Grad Minus soll der 16-jährige so seine Aggressionen abbauen. Härtere Strafen für jugendliche Gewalttäter hatte Ministerpräsident Roland Koch (CDU) in seinem Wahlkampf gefordert. Jetzt macht der Fall aus Hessen Furore. Der Junge hatte geprügelt, gepöbelt und dabei niemanden verschont. Seine Mutter nicht, die erwachsenen Betreuer nicht. In der Schule, im Heim, in der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie. Überall. Das Kreis-Jugendamt sah nur noch eine Möglichkeit: Sibirien. ?Das ist für ihn die letzte Chance?, bestätigte Jugenddezernent Stefan Becker dem Hessischen Rundfunk. Warum Sibirien? Weil es ein ?möglichst reizarmes Gebiet? ist, so Becker. Kein Internet, kein Handy, kein TV. Auch auf fließendes Wasser muss der Junge verzichten. ?Wenn er es warm haben will, muss er sein Feuerholz selbst hacken?, erklärt der Pädagoge. Ein Plumpsklo habe sich der Junge schon gebaut. Sein täglicher Schulweg: 2,5 Kilometer zu Fuß durchs meterdicke Eis. Für ganze neun Monate. Die Kosten: ein Drittel dessen, was für einen deutschen Heimplatz bezahlt werden müsste, erklärt das Amt aus Gießen. Ein Allheilmittel sei der Sibirien-Aufenthalt aber nicht, betonte Becker. ?Das ist eine Maßnahme, für einen Schüler, weil sie in diesem Fall angebracht ist.? Eine Mitarbeiterin des Jugendamtes hatte den Jungen kurz vor Weihnachten besucht. Ihr Urteil: ?Bisher sind die Zeichen positiv.? http://www.bild.t-online.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g1zmo Posted January 17, 2008 at 06:33 AM Share Posted January 17, 2008 at 06:33 AM wäre ein deutscher Steinbruch nicht billiger gewesen???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Festus Posted January 17, 2008 at 09:05 AM Share Posted January 17, 2008 at 09:05 AM Dort hätte er doch dann Handy und inet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2008 at 03:38 PM Share Posted January 17, 2008 at 03:38 PM Und sogar Sibiren ist noch zu gut für die, ab zum Nordpol und dort nach Erdöl graben lassen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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