Predictable results for unpredictable threats

ERKOS

Environmental Radar for a Knowing Observation and Surveillance ERKOS is the SELEX Sistemi Integrati innovative solution for emergency and life-threatening situations. The new hand-held system provides immediate detection of humans behind concrete walls and their continuous tracking, as well as building layout and life signs detection. THE SOLUTION Based on the new Through-the-wall radar technology, ERKOS allows to see through obstacles such as walls, doors and other visually opaque materials, by covering a broad range of applications that include: to detect and locate survivors trapped inside a burning building or in areas plagued by natural disasters (e.g. earthquakes, avalanches, landslides, dense smoke) to get an accurate overview of the inside of a building in e.g. a hostage crisis. People within the building can be detected and located. firefighters, emergency relief workers and public security operators. Through-the-wall technology can improve situational awareness and reduce risks, before undertaking an intervention inside a structure. To this aim, SELEX Sistemi Integrati has developed an advanced solution able to meet these requirements. In particular, this new system has been realized in collaboration with IDS Ingegneria Dei Sistemi S.p.A.

In all these scenarios that demand entering unsafe buildings, interventions can represent a danger for

THE SYSTEM Based on a consolidated expertise on inverse electromagnetic scattering, the ERKOS system is able to estimate the thickness and the electromagnetic features of a wall, detect vital signs and track people movements inside buildings. In addition, by connecting several ERKOS in a network, it is also possible to estimate the internal layout of buildings. Wall Parameters Estimation The aim of this function is to estimate the thickness and the electromagnetic properties of a wall, supposed homogeneous. This kind of information is extremely useful and represents a crucial step in the ERKOS set-up. The finer the estimation of the wall parameter, the better the detection and tracking accuracy will be. Life Signs Detection This function allows to detect life signs, like heartbeat and/or breathing in a through-the-wall context, in particular revealing motionless people in real-time. The detection of still people is performed by illuminating the investigated area with electromagnetic signals and exploiting the phase-modulation induced from the breastbone movement. This feature allows to locate people under ruins in case of landslides, earthquakes and other disasters. Advanced Tracking The system allows to locate and track humans inside the area of interest, both in free space and in a through-the-wall condition, with an improved resolution with respect to Global Positioning System based devices. Tracking is carried out by means of a two steps algorithm. The first step provides the spatial map of targets position while the latter uses this map to perform tracking. The processing is able to remove the presence of spurious objects that could be wrongly identified as persons. The ERKOS Network The sensing capability of the ERKOS system can be enhanced by deploying a network of ERKOS in the area of interest, guaranteeing a deeper situational awareness of emergency scenarios. In the network configuration, each ERKOS transmits measured data to a command station, which collects and processes all the data from the network. ERKOS, in particular the ERKOS network, allows to estimate the geometrical features of the investigated structure, providing the internal layout thanks to a model-based representation that best matches collected data. The network configuration also improves the overall system performance, since results from the centralized processing are more accurate and precise than those achievable by each single ERKOS.

This capability can be useful during disaster recovery activities and in all those cases when the structural information could be necessary in advance.

KeY PoInts Based on the outstanding experience in radar technology and on the strong and continuous commitment in Research and Innovation, the ERKOS system stands out for the following major points: suitable for a broad range of critical surveillance tasks, since the system can operate in severe environmental conditions, including smoke and heavy rains reduced risks for emergency relief workers in Search and Rescue operations, since the detection of vital signs represents a crucial information before entering damaged buildings increased situation awareness in dangerous conditions since the availability of building layout supports a safer and more effective intervention planning.

TECHNICAL FEATURES Detection Range Angular Coverage Display Working Mode Bandwidth Resolution Size/weight Output Power Up to 15 m (in the presence of walls) 150 in azimuth 2D color display, possible 3D display Stepped Frequency, Continuous Wave [1.950 2.450] GHz 300 mm [600 x 320 x 120] mm/4kg 14 dBm

SELEX Sistemi Integrati Via Tiburtina, km. 12.400 00131 Rome - Italy Tel:+39 06 41501 - Fax:+39 06 413133 www.selex-si.com

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