A state-owned Russian corporation is developing surveillance technology that can instantly distinguish between naturally occurring and man-made objects — including camouflaged military equipment.
United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation, a high-tech company formed last year as part of the larger Rostec Corp., said that the system relies on the spectral radiation emitted by every material instead of on the human field of vision.
It would therefore enable airborne drones to automatically produce a unique, highly accurate account of conditions on the ground.
“The technology we created can process hyperspectral data streams, leading to the creation of an 'all-seeing eye' that allows our drones to look beyond the usual boundaries of the human eye’s electromagnetic spectrum,” UIMC Deputy CEO Sergey Skokov said in a statement.
In addition to its obvious military capabilities, UIMC also said the technology could be useful in civilian capacities.
Drones could immediately assess contamination levels in the event of chemical or fuel spills, and could analyze environmental conditions in forests or farm fields.
