Sees Objects at 1 Lux
Teal Drones, a Red Cat subsidiary, and Immervision have partnered to provide exceptional low-light capabilities for UAS, the companies announced on 5 January.
The new model of Teal’s flagship Golden Eagle platform, currently under development, will feature two low-light camera modules from Immersion, enabling the drone to create a 3D map to facilitate autonomous navigation in low-light and GPS-denied areas. “The lens is designed to maximize the concentration of light per pixel on the image sensor, to provide the best image quality in low-light conditions across the complete field of view,” explained Jean-Sébastien Landry, Director of Product Management at Immervision. “Our camera module has been designed from the ground up to address the challenging requirements of operating safely in low-light conditions where other sensors are inefficient. It is capable of seeing objects in a dark environment at 1 lux, which is equivalent to deep twilight”.
Teal is integrating the new Immervision camera with its software system to enhance the Golden Eagle’s autonomous flying capabilities. These include avoiding obstacles and taking off and landing without pilot assistance, as well as automatically generating a 3D map and locating itself on it without the benefit of a GPS signal. Company tests revealed the Immervision cameras to be “at least” twice as good as their nearest competitors.
“Our objective with Teal is to create the ultimate small unmanned vehicle for military and security use,” stated Red Cat CEO, Jeff Thompson. “We’re doing that by designing and manufacturing a highly reliable, easy-to-use drone platform, to which can be added capabilities that warfighters and others on the frontlines need […] Because most military operations happen at night, having a low-light solution is a key capability for Teal […] Between this new development and other nighttime-focused capabilities on the horizon, Teal’s new model will be the go-to small drone that defense and security forces will turn to when they need to ‘Dominate the Night’”.
