Firearms are increasingly used in public places, for example, recently the world was shocked by the terrible news about the mass shooting in mosques in Christchurch. While social networks the spread of bloody shots and, in general, the ideology of terrorism, other IT companies are developing technologies that could prevent such tragedies. So, brings to market a radar scanning and imaging system, Hexwave, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning to detect concealed weapons in humans. This week, the company announced a partnership with the German football club Bayern Munich to beta test the new technology at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Bayern Football Club became the first client of Liberty Defense in Europe, at the same time, the company has already signed a number of agreements and contracts in the US and Canada, for example, with the Vancouver Arena Limited Partnership, which operates the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, with Sleiman Enterprises, which operates about 150 malls in the US, and with the Attorney General of Utah, who signed a memorandum to beta test Hexwave across the state.
Liberty Defense was founded in 2018 by Bill Riker, who says he has over XNUMX years of experience in the defense and security industry and has previously held leadership roles with Smiths Detention, DRS Technologies, General Dynamics and the US Department of Defense. His company received an exclusive license from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) along with an agreement to transfer all necessary patents relating to XNUMXD radar imaging technology, which is currently the basis of the company's main product called Hexwave.
“Hexwave has been fantastically received and we are delighted to be working with FC Bayern Munich, a football club known both in Europe and North America,” Riker said. “Our ability to deploy Hexwave both indoors and outdoors using both overt and flush-mounted installations sets us apart from the competition and is also generating growing market interest.”
Hexwave is based on a special low-energy radar using microwaves, which is 200 times weaker than conventional Wi-Fi. Its signal travels freely through various materials, including clothing and bags, and then bounces off the human body, creating a 3D picture of everything that is on top of the human body. This system is capable of detecting the outlines of firearms, knives and explosive belts.
The radar itself is built on technology, as already mentioned, , including an antenna array and a transceiver, with which it is able to receive data in real time, as well as software for generating three-dimensional images. But Liberty Defense also added its own technologies to the acquired development, for example, a functional user interface and an artificial intelligence-based system for continuous detection of threats without human intervention.
Of course, the same X-ray and mmWave scanners are already used in many security systems, for example, to scan bags at airports or train stations, and they can practically also provide 3D scanning of the human body. But what Liberty Defense offers is the detection of potentially dangerous weapons on the go. It is enough for a person to simply walk past the mounted installation, so that Hexwave receives an image, and the AI immediately checks it.
“Hexwave creates 3D images at high speed in real time and can assess threats when a person is just walking by, which means it is great for places with higher bandwidth and more people,” Riker said in a letter to publications VentureBeat.
So far, Liberty Defense has raised about $5 million to commercialize its product and conduct beta testing in various public places, it is also worth noting here that the company recently went public in Canada after undergoing a reverse takeover procedure, which will allow it to trade its shares. and get more investment.
“Publicity not only helps to tell the public about our product, but also allows us to access the next tranche of funding that we need to continue the development of Hexwave,” Riker commented to VentureBeat.
In addition to Liberty Defense, there are a number of other companies that use AI to detect weapons. For example, from Austin uses computer vision for this purpose, although their system is not able to detect hidden threats, and the Canadian company and American , backed by Bill Gates, are developing products similar to Hexwave. However, Oakland International Airport already installed the Evolv system last year as part of an employee vetting program, and the system is currently being tested at Gillette Stadium in Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
All of these companies and their products are certainly helping to see the growing demand for threat detection automation in public places such as airports, shopping malls and sports stadiums. So, Liberty Defense, referring to the data from Homeland Security Research, indicates that the weapons detection systems industry is expected to reach $2025 billion by 7,5, up from $4,9 billion today. Therefore, the company has big plans and is going to actively conduct tests of its product in real conditions during 2019 and 2020, starting with North America and Europe.
You can watch the video presentation of Hexwave in English below.
Source: 3dnews.ru