Battelle Teaming with Geovox to Improve Heartbeat Detector Device

February 21, 2007

 

Detection prototype to aid homeland defense, strengthen border patrol efforts

 

Washington, D.C.--Detecting a human heartbeat among tons of steel and the clamor of both manmade and environmental noises is no easy task.

 

The Department of Homeland Security has hired Battelle and Geovox Security, Inc. to improve the AVIAN Heartbeat Detector ™ system so it can be put to wider and better use in the United States' border control efforts. The AVIAN system, manufactured by Geovox using technology licensed from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is currently being used around the world to detect concealed passengers hidden within a broad range of vehicles.

 

The technical challenge involves making the system work under a wider range of environmental conditions, including rain, high wind, and other severe seismic disturbances. To do so, Battelle and Geovox will work on improving the sensors and signal processing and incorporating improved algorithms, circuit cards, processors, and firmware. The team will rely on past experience in the challenge of canceling ground and airborne noises in dynamic environments and in developing ruggedized packaging for extreme environments.

The contract, with the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA) calls for Battelle and Geovox to have two improved prototypes ready for field testing within fifteen months.

 

The AVIAN system is currently used in 150 locations throughout the world and has been used successfully by immigration, border patrol, and prison agencies for the last several years. The system detects a concealed passenger in less than one minute and allows for rapid vehicle searches without disturbing vehicle contents.

 

"This is a solid technology and we hope to improve it by developing a robust, field-hardened heartbeat detection system that will help meet the Department of Homeland Security's need to detect concealed passengers and enhance overall border security," said John Wade, Battelle's National Security VP for the Joint and Interagency Market Group.

 

Battelle is the world's largest non-profit independent research and development organization, with 20,000 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including five national laboratories Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle conducts $3.8 billion in R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management, and technology commercialization. Battelle provides innovative solutions to some of the world's most important problems including global climate change, sustainable energy technologies, high performance materials, next generation healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics, and advanced security solutions for people, infrastructure, and the nation. Battelle has a long history of developing successful commercial products in collaboration with its clients, ranging from products to fight diabetes, cancer, and heart disease to the development of the office copier machine (Xerox). As a non-profit charitable trust with an eye toward the future, Battelle actively supports and promotes science and math education.

 

For more information on Battelle visit visit www.battelle.org or contact National Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (410) 306-8638 or at delaneyk@battelle.org

 

Geovox manages its worldwide operations and field support operations from a facility located in Houston, Texas. Geovox customers include the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and multiple overseas immigration agencies and state prison facilities. For more information on Geovox, visit www.geovox.com or contact Colin Frazier at (713) 521-9404.