November 10th, 2009 - by John Steinbergs - Sky Research

People around the world are angry at the indiscriminate killing caused by the improvised explosive device (IED). These devices have been the largest killer of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sky Research, based in Ashland, Oregon hosted the honorable Congressman Greg Walden this afternoon and spoke about two key technologies developed in Ashland that address the IED problem.

Sky Research demonstrated a security monitoring system designed for the surveillance and detection of person-borne IEDs. The rapidly deployable field system featuring airport quality detection has uses at, check points, sports venues, hotels, election polling stations, etc. The Pentagon’s organization in charge of seeking ways to counter IEDs has funded Sky Research to develop these systems for immediate use. Software automatically processes and analyzes sensor data, providing a visual and audible alarm when a threat is detected. The system is widely configurable, expandable and easy to use with minimal training. In addition, the system is transparent to the individuals under investigation, providing added effectiveness.

Sky Research also demonstrated a state-of-the-art airborne IED detection system that operates in all weather conditions, day or night. The system has the capability to detect surface or shallow-buried objects hidden to optical sensors. For applications requiring near real-time results, the system provides on-board image analysis and detection capability. This highly successful technology has been documented effective by various government evaluation programs.

Sky Research, Inc. is a vertically integrated unexploded ordnance characterization company utilizing advanced fixed-wing, helicopter and ground-based mapping technologies for wide area assessment and geophysical mapping.