The palm-sized sensor devices, designed for use by the U.S. military, will be deployed throughout the Middle East to detect anyone moving nearby and report back to remote control centers.
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In the past, when armies engaged in combat, they often left behind many landmines to harm civilians after the fighting ceased. The sensors, known as UGS (Unattended Ground Sensors), created by American scientists will not cause destruction in that manner. Instead, they can assist the Pentagon in monitoring areas that were once battlefields after U.S. forces return home.
“We will leave many special devices in Afghanistan. These devices can easily blend in with the soil and rocks, allowing us to monitor a village without causing any disruption,” said Matt Plyburn, CEO of Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military contractor.
Devices that easily blend into the ground or are hidden in rock crevices. (Source: Wired)
The U.S. military has been using ground-based sensor devices since 1966 when American forces deployed sound detection devices along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Thousands of UGS devices have been scattered throughout Afghanistan and Iraq, creating a surveillance network around outposts and remote locations. This represents the largest area monitoring possible with a minimal number of soldiers.
“They can be used to cover dead spaces, which are areas of interest that cannot be monitored effectively with smart ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) devices,” said Lieutenant Colonel Matt Russel, the program manager for military covert sensor devices.
Previously, UGS devices were often large and cumbersome, prone to false alarms, and had a lifespan measured in days or weeks. The U.S. military has invested $200 billion to improve them into palm-sized devices with significantly longer lifespans. Lockheed refers to these as “deploy and forget” systems for “long-term monitoring.”
Moreover, these sensors can last for about two decades. When they do not detect an object or transmit a signal, the sensors will automatically turn off to conserve battery. This allows them to remain operational for weeks when buried underground. Sensors placed in rock crevices are equipped with small solar panels to help recharge their batteries. Therefore, these devices can be deployed anywhere in the world and still operate effectively overnight, Plyburn noted.
Lockheed Martin has not yet signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to mass-produce these sensors. However, Plyburn stated that the armed forces have expressed interest, especially since this system is relatively inexpensive. He noted that each sensor costs around $1,000, significantly lower than the $80,000 that the military has to pay for a guided artillery shell.