Thermal sensor maker HGH launches new 360-degree optical system for U.S. army market

Infrared optical systems maker HGH has introduced the third generation of its SPYNEL-U 360-degree thermal and visible imaging sensor, which the company says is entirely reinvented from design to performance, with improved image quality, data collection, and analysis.

The new SPYNEL-U is being displayed during the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) 2019 meeting and exposition in Washington, D.C. HGH says it is the only thermal sensor providing two 360-degree panoramic video feeds in high resolution, and that the dual-channel sensor is ideal for real-time long-distance detection and tracking, due to its high contrast.

The SPYNEL-U features the same base as the company’s SPYNEL-X and SPYNEL-S sensors, and is interchangeable with them, for instance on the same platforms or tripods. The new generation can be used to detect maritime asymmetrical threats or ground-based detection of multiple threats on land or at sea, including camouflaged people.

“At AUSA 2019, attendees and delegations will discover the newest and most performant uncooled sensor of the SPYNEL range,” says Stephen Scopatz, general manager of HGH’s American subsidiary. “SPYNEL-U is a reliable uncooled technology requiring no maintenance; we are very excited about the evolution of its performance, and the improved visible and thermal image quality provided, which has never been so high.”

FaceFirst recently launched a new version of its biometric enterprise computer vision platform, which supports facial recognition on single or multi-sensory panoramic cameras. There was some speculation that the U.S. Army may try to bring facial recognition to the battlefield at the launch of its Artificial Intelligence Task Force early this year.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  data collection  |  infrared  |  optical sensor  |  research and development  |  thermal imaging  |  U.S. Army  |  video analytics