Date: Dec 15, 2009 Author: Joe Singleton Source: MDA (
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by Joe Singleton/jsingleton@nttc.edu
A new surveillance technology soon might allow police, transportation officials, and private security firms to quickly and efficiently scan crowds to guard against terrorists or to spot would-be criminals.
The technology, developed by Eutecus, Inc. (Berkeley, CA), combines a single-chip multicore processor and algorithmic software capable of analyzing data within surveillance cameras more quickly and more affordably than can be done with current commercially available systems, according to the company. Eutecus' technology could be used wherever active surveillance and recognition of key behaviors (such as entering prohibited zones, forming crowds, and leaving behind objects) is required—transportation centers, shopping malls, freeways, and even large areas of land.
MDA first funded Eutecus through a 2004 SBIR Phase II contract to develop a microprocessor architecture capable of performing multitarget discrimination and tracking on missile defense systems.
Company engineers decided to move beyond the defense realm after the MDA contract ended. Using the same basic microprocessing architecture and programming concepts developed for MDA, Eutecus devised algorithms that can be tailored to perform a number of simultaneous tasks, including monitoring human behavior. For instance, if the technology is placed in an Internet Protocol (IP) security camera, a police officer could use it to track up to 12 behavioral patterns at once, such as loitering and a person dropping off a bag. While this technology could offer significant help to law enforcement, it also offers a competitive edge: Other IP security cameras can track at most only a few behavioral patterns at a time, according to Eutecus.
The company's algorithms can run on a microprocessing architecture built two different ways—either as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is directly integrated with sensors, or as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based module placed in close proximity to the sensors or a focal plane array. The latter format is the company's premiere configuration; it already has been endorsed by Xilinx, the world's largest FPGA manufacturer, for enhanced video processing applications, and is being introduced to potential customers. Further, the technology scales to an improved format (high definition) and has higher frame rates (greater than 30 frames per second) than competitive solutions.
Eutecus plans to commercialize the technology by licensing the hardware and software to camera manufacturers, programming cameras as they are being manufactured, or at delivery.
Eutecus continues improving its technology. Depending on algorithmic complexity, current prototype chips created by the company can analyze images at rates of more than 1,000 frames per second. This significantly exceeds the 30 frames-per-second rate common on commercial surveillance cameras. Company officials said it recently developed a prototype chip with a sensing rate that exceeds 100,000 frames per second.
The company designed its ASIC microprocessing architecture with efficiency in mind. Separate sensor and processor chip sets—typical in most competitive military architectures—are not necessary on the Eutecus device, because they are integrated into one package. Combining the sensors and processors means that Eutecus' product uses about half the power that a typical competing product would use. The Eutecus offering can use less than 100 milliwatts. The size of the package also is reduced by half.
Eutecus also projects its technology will save money once mass production commences. Current IP cameras for security can range in price between $1,000 and $2,000 per unit, depending on specifications. Adding an analytical package for use on a server arrangement (not in the camera) can add at least a few hundred per camera. Eutecus officials believe their wares could be offered much cheaper, possibly $100 per camera, in volume. The company wants to license its technology to camera manufacturers and establish partnerships with systems integrators.
