SBIR Phase I: A Novel Embedded Low Power Smart Optical Sensor

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a novel Smart Optical Sensor (SOS) technology (hardware platform and embedded software) that is able to provide localized intelligent image processing capability to existing visible or infrared cameras used in video surveillance systems. Existing video surveillance networks typically utilize multiple visible/infrared video cameras connected to one or more central control station(s) where motion detection and digital video recording take place. The broader impacts from this technology will be computationally intensive smart video processing algorithms -- custom designed, embedded, low power hardware platform placed at the camera location, this can eliminate much of the video transmission bandwidth requirements demanded by current systems, facilitate wireless links between cameras and control stations, reduce the huge amount of video storage equipment, and perform more reliable video surveillance. Such a centralized video surveillance will help meet the ever-increasing demands of homeland security.