Use of Adaptive, Non-line of Sight Smart Sensors to Recognize and Locate Threats to Physical Assets and Field Forces

Biomimetic technology, a processing method based on biological neural systems, offers an approach to acoustic processing which is noise and reverberation tolerant, acquires targets quickly, localizes accurately, and is well suited for urban theaters of operation. The Phase I project demonstrated the feasibility of the applied technology for identification and localization of acoustic targets such as gunfire. As shown in Phase I, the technology functions on small baselines allowing for portable, compact, and covert sensor arrays. The core technology is flexible and has applications from vehicle mounted sniper detectors, to mobile robotics, to a wide range of unattended ground sensors or perimeter security devices. The Phase II project will advance the core technology by enhancing the core processing algorithms for increased accuracy of identification and localization of targets, including weapons and breaching events; extending algorithms for voice-cueing to facilitate human–robot interaction; and redesigning prototype systems with lower cost, low power, higher efficiency, and readily manufacturable design.