Sentient Vision Systems, a developer of passive modular optical sensors, has completed live demonstrations of its AI-enabled ViDAR (visual detection and ranging) payload deployed on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) provided by Edge Autonomy. The collaborators used Edge Autonomy’s VXE30 UAS models to demonstrate capabilities for passive wide-area search for maritime operations.
Sentient’s ViDAR technology combines AI, computer vision, and machine learning integrated with electro-optic and infrared sensors to passively detect objects that are difficult to spot with the human eye or recognize via conventional radar. The technology has been deployed on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, maritime patrol, border protection, and search and rescue missions since 2015, proving effective in challenging maritime conditions with waves 13 to 20 ft high.
Edge Autonomy’s VXE30 UAS with Sentient’s ViDAR payload. Courtesy of Edge Autonomy.
Last month, Sentient partnered with U.S. defense technology company Shield AI to jointly develop and integrate a ViDAR-enabled, wide-area search capability onto Shield AI’s unmanned aircraft.