According to Haaretz, an Israeli start-up has developed a new radar technology to see through walls. This radar system, based on UWB (ultra wideband) technology, can produce 3D images of what stays behind walls. The real breakthrough is that this system can be used from a distance of up to 20 meters, which will benefit rescuers as well as military personnel by providing useful information about the number of people inside a room, their locations and even their weapons. The newspaper adds that the images are of good quality, allowing the users of the system to follow what is happening behind the wall in real time. However, don't expect to get one today. The first devices are expected to be available within 18 months.
Here are some excerpts.
a small, Herzliya-based company called Camero is offering a solution: a radar system, based on UWB (ultra wideband) technology, that can produce three-dimensional pictures of what lies behind a wall, from a distance of up to 20 meters. The pictures, which resemble those produced by ultrasound, are relatively high-resolution. Although the figures are somewhat blurred, the system enables the user to follow what is happening behind the wall in real time.
"The company was born of urgent operational needs," said CEO Aharon Aharon -- and not only those of the military. "When disaster victims must be rescued from a collapsed building or a fire, time is of the essence," he explained. "Rescue forces often invest enormous resources and precious time in combing the rubble, or endanger their lives by entering the flames, even if it is not clear that there are any survivors behind the walls."
And here are some details about the technology, which also uses special software.
Camero was born at the Jerusalem Global venture capital fund (JVG), when Amir Be'eri, a former defense establishment employee associated with the fund (his most recent position was CEO of Infineon), developed a way to emit UWB radio waves. UWB was a new technology at the time, and it was necessary because ordinary radio waves do not provide high enough resolution to be useful. Yet radio waves are necessary because other types of waves do not pass through walls.
Another problem with radio waves is that they do not function well around metal. However, Camero has developed sophisticated software that enables its technology to work even on steel-reinforced concrete walls.
Apparently, the first devices will be ready within 18 months, a period during which Camero's competitor, Time Domain, will be able to sell its own technology.
Time Domain, which also uses UWB technology to see through walls, has been active for six months and is already selling millions of dollars worth of devices a year. But Camero's technology is superior in several important respects. First, it can be used from a distance of 20 meters, whereas Time Domain's product must be right next to the wall in question. Second, it gives a detailed picture of everything in the room, whereas Time Domain's product locates objects, but gives no information about their shape or size.
In "Israeli invention sees through walls," WorldNetDaily gives some details about other defense technologies developed in Israel.
Israeli firms are well known for developing revolutionary technology, particularly in the defense fields. El Al Airlines recently implemented a high-tech antimissile system developed by an Israeli firm, and Israel announced it developed a Star Wars-like remote control border with Gaza that uses unmanned sensor patrol cars and computerized observation posts to automatically spot and, upon human authorization, kill terrorists, even recommending the most appropriate weapon for the system to fire against a specified target.
In addition, an Israeli security source told WND that Israel recently developed proprietary technology that can discreetly put an electronic field around a building or area that gives users the ability to monitor and control every electronic emission within that field, from electronic can openers to fax machines, computers and cell phones.
Sources: Zuri Dar and Oded Hermoni, Haaretz, July 1, 2004; Aaron Klein, WorldNetDaily.com, July 2, 2004
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