Defence Procurement International: UMIS - Mobile Sensors For Coastal And Port Security

Wednesday, November 22 2017

ECA Group unveiled at Milipol Paris 2017 its all robotic solution equipped with mobile sensors for port and coastal surveillance.

Published on Defence Procurement International, November 2017.

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In coastal and port security, radars and multifunctional cameras ensure permanent monitoring. However according to ECA Group, the current system has its limits:

Uses only fixed sensors installed at strategic points on the monitored sites.
Said sensors can be blocked by precipitous terrains
Their functioning can be altered by bad weather
Their viewing range is restricted

UMIS for Security solution deploys different types of robots for coastal and port security.

“In order to lift the limitations linked to the fixed sensors, ECA Group has designed solutions that make the sensors mobile. These solutions provide more precise and performant information with a wider viewing range. They enable to better detect dangers and to generate alerts well in advance so that action can be taken at sea and infrastructures can be protected. ”, explains Vincent Clavier, in charge of Homeland Security activity within ECA Group.

ECA’s entire fleet of robots (USV, AUVs, ROVs and UAVs) can be managed and co-ordinated with one single command in a santd-off distance post equipped with UMIS for Security.

"The real novelty of this software suite is its ability to integrate seamlessly into existing systems, its primary purpose being the supplementing of the already installed devices,” says Clavier. “The added value is its ability to supervise the fleet of sensors, to process and communicate information and to manage, operate and co-ordinate the robots’ tasks.”

UMIS for Security can be used to define surveillance zones, for example, generate alerts, transmit commands and react before the threat reaches the zone requiring protection, and all of this without putting humans at risk.

ECA Group proposes three types of robots that can wear the mobile sensors. The main device is its Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) INSPECTOR MK2, which can be remotely controlled or navigated in autonomous mode based on a pre-programmed itinerary.

The USV is also able escort suspicious boats to the entrance of the port generate a warning provoking a response. The USV can be equipped with radars, visual or thermal cameras and transmit images in real time or other detailed information such as heat sources, biochemical or radiological components.

High impact deterrents can be deployed as well including water cannons, visual or acoustic projectors, and even lethal means

The USV is also able to deploy automatically a second class of robots, AUVs or ROV, to perform inspection tasks on the seabed along the coastline to verify if it has been compromised by the dumping of mines and improvised explosive devices.

The third class of robot is the UAV IT180 aerial drone, which can carry out speedy reconnaissance flights and surveillance or inspection flights (chemical sensors, magnetometers).

UMIS for Security is also available with a mobile command station installed in an equipped truck for specific call-outs.