DHS S&T, MIT Test Crowd Scanning Millimeter Wave Imaging Technology

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate in partnership with researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory last October conducted a developmental test and evaluation of a prototype millimeter wave imager that safely scanned crowds for potential threat items. The three day test was conducted at the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s emergency training center in Boston. S&T says the facility provided a realistic electromagnetic environment to gauge how the system will function in an operational metro station. The imaging system consists of a set of antennas installed on flat panels and screens commuters at a distance, providing high resolution images in real-time without impacting travelers. The system provides an alarm if someone is concealing potential threat items while maintaining privacy through automated anomaly detection. “Successful testing in a representative environment was a key milestone for the effort,” says Dr. William Moulder, program lead at Lincoln Laboratory. The flat panel design of the technology allows for the imager to be scaled to different sizes for integration in walls, ceilings, columns, fare gates and entryways. DHS S&T plans another round of testing to with other technologies as part of a multilayered pilot to see how well different systems complement each other. The next round of evaluations may occur in the metro system of Washington, D.C., but the site hasn’t been confirmed.

Motorola Implementing Vidsys Security Management Platform for Military Bases

Vidsys says that Motorola Solutions [MSI] is implementing the company’s converged security and information management software as part of a communications system offering to military bases and federal facilities. Vidsys’ solution will be packaged in Motorola’s Protect Series communications platform, which meets security and network compliance for military installations and other secure federal facilities. The Protect solution aggregates and analyzes information from multiple inputs, including video, computer aided dispatch, records management, SACA, sensors and alerts, resource location, sirens and more, providing situational awareness and actionable data through a common operation picture.