FDOS - DARPA program

The Fine Detail Optical Surveillance (FDOS) program will develop a fundamentally new optical ISR capability that can provide ultra high-resolution 3D images for rapid, in-field identification of a diverse set of targets. The systems will be developed for use in an active battlefield or hostile environments with designs tailored to allow for soldier portable applications as well as UAV integration. Targets of interest will include a variety of surfaces and complexities to be imaged under turbulent conditions. See attached DARPA-BAA-10-24 document for complete announcement. Questions on the BAA are due 27 January 2010. First Round Proposals are due 12 March 2010.

Sounds really interesting. Surveillance in 3 D!

Darpa anticipates that 3-D surveillance would boost field of vision and depth of vision “by over 100X” compared to existing systems.

That’s a big step up from the best drone surveillance in use right now. According to Darpa, current spy-cam systems with 3-D capabilities are big and unwieldy, and can only handle a small surveillance zone without user input. The new 3-D models, by comparison, should rapidly identify targets that are as tough to spot as ”a needle moving along the surface of a haystack.” Plus, they’d solve one of the biggest complaints about Predator video feeds: Depth perception is often lost in grainy footage, and the view is so narrow that it’s been likened to “looking through a soda straw.” This new project holds the possibility of changing that. Next step is doing something about the motion sickness that goes along with swooping in the air.



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