Pearson integrates AI-driven explosive detector with UAV
Threat-Sense has been designed to detect ground-laid ordnance and explosive threats. (Photo: Pearson Engineering)
Pearson Engineering has developed a vehicle-integrated UAV system to detect ground-laid ordnance such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.
The Threat-Sense system supports the identification of threats to mobility, including vehicles and dismounted soldiers, with the use of UAVs combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic threat libraries.
Threat-Sense was designed to provide increased situational awareness to vehicle commanders and has been field tested when integrated with platforms ranging from Foxhound and HX60, to the Patria AMV and TRX 2 robotic combat vehicle.
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The platform was developed by Pearson Engineering’s unmanned solutions team for integration with a UAV to assist enhanced reconnaissance and stand-off from the vehicle after feedback from users and international science and technology organisations.
The system was evaluated and proven with NATO allies at the Suffield Research Centre in Canada to demonstrate freedom of manoeuvre and mobility at pace using a commercially available off-the-shelf UAV to a distance of 5km to reduce the risk to life and providing an additional method of surface laid threat identification.
Threat-Sense logs all of the detected threats with unique identifiers, GPS markers and timestamps, and has the ability to network information over Android team awareness kit or data distribution service in real time.
Threat-Pathway, a newer development designed to provide rapidly deployable scatterable mine clearance capability to combat vehicles and combat support vehicles, has also taken part in a number of end-user demonstrations and trials.
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