The
Aeryon Scout, a small man-packable flying robotic UAV system,
manufactured by Aeryon Labs of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada gave law
enforcement officers the break they needed in a recent drug bust in
Central America. The reconnaissance photos taken allowed for a
successful raid and subsequent conviction.
[prweb.com] The Aeryon Scout, a small man-packable flying robotic
system, manufactured by Aeryon Labs of Waterloo, Ontario, gave law
enforcement officers the break they needed in a recent drug bust in
Central America.
The
Aeryon Scout — a small, lightweight mini-helicopter that is
remote-controlled from the ground by computer — was able to provide
visual surveillance of a suspected narcotic trafficker’s compound deep
in the jungle. The Scout provides the features of larger unmanned
aerial systems (UASs) in a small package, at a fraction of the cost.
“This might sound like a plot from a TV show like CSI or 24, but it’s a
real-life application of our robotic technology,” said Dave Kroetsch,
President of Aeryon Labs. “This is what the Scout was designed for:
providing aerial intelligence in settings too challenging or dangerous
for humans to venture into.”
Kroetsch said the law enforcement officers took the Aeryon Scout
into the jungle, in hostile territory, under the cover of darkness. At
first light they cleared a small launch area, took the Scout out of its
suitcase-sized case, and snapped it together. Measuring only 80 cm by
80 cm when assembled and weighing just over a kilogram, the Scout was
easy to transport. They then set the robot’s target by selecting the
location of the drug compound using a touch-screen satellite-map
interface on a portable computer tablet. The target location was
approximately 1 km from the operator. For security reasons the actual
date and location of the operation cannot be publicized.
The Scout, which can quietly travel as far as three kilometres from
the operator’s location and up to 500 metres off the ground, is ideal
for this type of beyond line-of-sight surveillance as the officers did
not need to see the unit to control it. Once at the target location,
the Scout’s motion-compensated camera took digital still images and
streamed encrypted digital video in real-time to the operator’s
computer, with no risk to the investigating officers.
The images enabled the enforcement team to determine the interior
layout of the compound, establish what vehicles were inside, identify
possible escape routes, and assess what security measures were in
place. Most importantly they were able to see a gap in the wire
surrounding the compound that was then used as the entry point for the
raid. The successful bust resulted in the arrest of the drug gang
members. Before the use of the Aeryon Scout, law enforcement officers
would typically drive an armoured vehicle through the wall of the
compound and face unknown circumstances on the other side.
The drug bust is just one of the scenarios where the Aeryon Scout is
useful to police and similar agencies. Easily carried in a backpack,
the Aeryon Scout assists with documenting accident scenes, following
fleeing suspects, and aiding in search and rescue operations in day or
night, especially beyond line-of-sight of the operator. Military units
can use it to scope out areas with dangerous or rugged terrain. There
are also industrial applications such as inspecting the exterior of
buildings or gathering air samples from exhausts and smokestacks.
“The Scout’s low noise, radar, visual and heat signatures make it an
ideal platform for covert tactical imagery collection. You can set it
up in a couple of minutes out of its case, fly the mission, and be gone
without ever alerting the target. And if you can play a simple video
game, you can fly the Scout,” said Charles Barlow, President Zariba
Security Corporation and former Canadian intelligence officer.
Aeryon Labs designed the Scout system to be easy enough for even
non-technical people to use with minimal training. Its on-board
computer system supervises all aspects of the mission, allowing the
operator to focus on completing a task.
“We’re excited to have developed robotic technology which is
practical and affordable for law enforcement, military and security
forces, and can save lives. And that’s priceless,” said Kroetsch.
About Aeryon Labs Inc. – www.aeryon.com:
Aeryon
Labs provides robotic solutions to real-world problems through the
design and manufacture of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and
related systems. With a background in robotics, control systems, and
digital imaging, the Aeryon team is able to bring leading-edge products
to market and provide custom solutions. Aeryon Labs was recently named
one of Canada’s Top 25 ICT Up and Comers in the Branham Group300
ranking of Canadian Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
companies.
Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/04/prweb3903734.htm
