Scalable-Network Wireless Imaging Sensors for the Battlefield

This Phase II effort proposes to design and develop a field deployable hyperspectral image sensor that is capable of standoff detection, identification and quantification of plumes of chemical and biological agents in the modern battlespace, as well as being capable of disclosing hidden objects and enemy combatants through background subtraction techniques and algorithms. These hyperspectral sensors provide a large amount of information for the battlefield commanders to counteract chemical warfare, which has become an imminent threat and concern for the U.S. military. The objective is to leverage the hyperspectral technology to create deployable devices for surveillance and reconnaissance missions as a complement to scalable video sensor networks, thus forming a comprehensive battlefield situation awareness system covering the great majority of the spectrum. This proposal will design and prototype a portable hyperspectral image sensor; develop a database of hyperspectral images of common chemical and biological agents; characterize hyperspectral images for anomaly detection algorithms that can be applied with the image sensor; develop automatic target detection techniques for standoff identification of enemy vehicles and combatants in a battlefield, and transition the scalable video network into a combination visual-hyperspectral surveiilance and reconnaissance system.