Bird’s eye view to detect and alleviate traffic woes

Bird’s eye view to detect and alleviate traffic woes
Swati Anand | TNN

Bangalore: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s a mini Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).
That could well be your reaction the next time you’re stuck in a traffic jam and spot a UFO amid the clouds.
Italy-based Selex Censors and Airborne Systems is marketing these mini UAS’ — with remote infra-red cameras, which serve as surveillance systems over distances of 10-15 km — to Bangalore traffic police. “We’ve heard that Bangalore traffic has serious congestion issues, which is likely to worsen since the city has recently expanded to Greater Bangalore. With these mini UAS, control rooms will have real-time images of the situation and can divert traffic accordingly,’’ says Giuolio Segurini, international business development manager, Selex.
These mini UAS, manufactured by Italian companies UTRI and Alpi Aviation, are made of compact carbon fibre which ensures they’re light yet sturdy. It has a battery backup of six hours which can be enhanced.
“They’re used by the Italian police to monitor industrial sites and areas with dense traffic,’’ says Segurini. With an easy-to-use control panel that can decide the altitude and direction of the flight path, Segurini says 20 minutes of ‘training’ to a person with basic education is sufficient to enable him to use it. “Many companies meet us with innovations for Bangalore traffic. However, we won’t be able to take a call on this device until we see a demonstration and evaluate it,’’ said K C Ramamurthy, additional commissioner (traffic and security), Bangalore. A demo may be conducted in September. Selex has identified other areas of application for Karnataka and hopes to meet government officials soon. While Segurini is unwilling to disclose the cost of each mini UAS, he says it will be more cost-effective than installing CCTVs. “Besides, these have the advantage of mobility’’
The company is partnering with Bangalore-based United Telecoms and plans to invest around $10 million to set up a manufacturing and R&D unit in the city. “There’s an immense talent pool here and a definite cost advantage,’’ says Segurini. The company is also examining possibilities of tying up with institutes like IISc, HAL and NAL for projects.
OTHER USES
Wildlife welfare programmes and census Commercial air traffic control Special security for convoys Wartime monitoring Disaster management Special security project