AKELA INC — Department of Homeland Security SBIR Phase I: H-SB014.1-001

Description

Often illegal border crossing along the southern border takes place in unimproved areas not constantly monitored by Border Patrol agents or deployed sensors. Agents must rely on sign-cutting to detect traffic and start their pursuit. These signs can be difficult or impossible to detect from a moving platform with the unaided eye due to inclement weather, insufficient illumination and agent fatigue. By developing an all weather sensor focused on footprint trail detection to aid in monitoring unimproved areas, additional illegal border crossing can be detected. AKELA is proposing to develop a low cost, vehicle mounted, radar based footprint trail detection sensor to aid Border Patrol Agents in this task. The system will consist of simple low cost Ka-band radar hardware and data preprocessing and detection algorithms. Work will include radar test bed development, research into electromagnetic footprint scattering phenomenology, and algorithm development. A feasibility demonstration using a brassboard system prototype will be conducted at the end of Phase I. A manufacturing cost analysis will inform system design and help to minimize system cost. Completion of Phase I and Phase II efforts will result in a mature system prototype capable of detecting footprint trails from a moving vehicle in real environments. Commercial applications resulting from research and development efforts include roadway-monitoring sensors and airport runway foreign object damage detection sensors.