Defense-developed video surveillance readied for commercial products
DECEMBER 18--RemoteReality (Westborough, MA, USA; www.remotereality.com), the designer and manufacturer of intelligent omni-video systems with real-time viewing and analysis software for continuous 360° surveillance, conferencing, and other applications supporting government, commercial, and enterprise business markets, has secured $7.3 million in venture financing. The funding round was co-led by Battelle Ventures and Chart Venture Partners. "With its patented imaging technology integrating hardware and proprietary software, RemoteReality has solved key technical limitations, including those on video quality, and has reduced the high costs associated with systems that are predominantly in use for video surveillance today," says Battelle Ventures general partner Ralph Taylor-Smith. "Current intelligent-video systems cannot meet the requirements for persistent situational awareness, protection of critical assets and efficient communication of essential information.
"By integrating high-resolution 360° mirrors, optics, sensors, and intelligent processing into single-lens, solid-state, high-frame-rate video appliances," continues Taylor-Smith, "RemoteReality's systems promise real-time 360° seamless video, with the ability to simultaneously detect and track dozens of objects while an entire area remains under total surveillance, in both visible and infrared thermal spectra.
James Ionson, who became RemoteReality CEO as part of the funding event, explains: "We incorporate precision single or double mirrors with our unique lenses, which interact with the latest intelligent-video sensors. Using mirrors and a lens is superior to using only lenses, which must constantly compensate for light refraction. This is why highly sophisticated telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, utilize lenses and mirrors rather than lens-only refractor telescopes," he says.
"To this imaging capability we add sensors and proprietary software that provide intelligent object tracking and analysis. while simultaneously managing bandwidth," continues Ionson. "The system can continually adjust, sending comprehensive and high-quality imaging data at speeds that adapt to a network's bandwidth capacity. "When the 360° cameras are integrated with high-resolution pan-tilt-zoom cameras, they can provide high-resolution interrogation of individual points of interest," he explains. "Detection, alarm, and tracking software can be added to fully automate the camera system, with alerts transmitted to security monitors, operators' screens, PDAs, and other devices when threats are detected in predefined alarm zones. The camera can zoom in on one point of interest while the whole area is still under total surveillance," he says.
