Recently we were invited to showcase our deep-tech technologies as exhibitors at DEFCROS Public Safety & Defense Expo in Osijek, which was organized as the first international expo of this kind. An opportunity to present our solutions for the defense and public safety sector.
The question is, what do we offer to the defense and security industry? And the answer is actually – a lot, with two main reasons. First, our vast experience in modern computer vision systems powered with AI, can easily be applied in many defense/security applications, in different forms of imaging (visible, infrared, or thermal spectrum). And second, a new technology that is being introduced into our portfolio, finds many applications right in these fields, and that is SWIR (shortwave-infrared) imaging.
So we gathered, planned, and presented very interesting stories and demonstrations to exhibition visitors from civil protection, police, government, and military sectors, as well as to the general public. The demonstrations included our experiences from projects in several fields: space, computer vision, FPGA, artificial intelligence, multispectral imaging, statistics, and data science.
The most attractive demo was our live camera view with a heat map representation of the statistical movement of people in the exhibition hall. At first, many visitors thought it was a thermal camera, due to the color mapping, but then got interested after we explained to them the actual goal. Very interesting in behavioral analysis of people’s movement in large areas (e.g. airports).
The second demo was a miniature satellite model with a built-in AnomalAIzer, to illustrate how our first software code that went into space (also the first code from a Croatian company) was executed on an actual satellite in space orbit (OPS-SAT mission). A built-in microcontroller hosted inside a 3D printed satellite model with gyro-sensors mimicking telemetry data, and anomaly detection (shaking or fast rotating of the model).
Another live demo was face detection on FPGA, with computing time and energy consumption comparison versus CPU. A proof that some advanced algorithms can perform faster and more energy efficient on FPGA, than on standard computer CPU.
The last demo was a hidden camera. The fact is that the portion of SWIR spectrum can penetrate through plastics with minimal losses. So it is easy in some cases to hide a camera in a plastic container and record unnoticed. The visitors had a tough time finding the hidden SWIR camera, although it was right in front of them in the flower vase.
We also demonstrated possibilities for SWIR imaging technology combined with computer vision and AI, with the results from our laboratory testing of SWIR imaging. We made a short movie from the results, and the use cases included were: smoke-through vision for firefighting and rescue missions; mine detection in plastic housing; camouflage mitigation; and drone detection. These were just a few examples, the possibilities are much greater.
So we are hoping to see future clients who would recognize the benefits of SWIR technology, and the rest of our solutions, not just in the public safety or defense sectors, but also in agricultural, pharmaceutical, construction, or other industries.
We will talk about SWIR in depth in the next upcoming blog series. We will cover the fundamentals, possibilities, and approaches for various industries. With that announcement, stay tuned for new technologies, and stay safe.
