Ships to be Enveloped by Network of Laser Beams

While at the Workboat show this week in New Orleans, I met up with David Leone, President of Radio Zeeland DMP, a company designs and engineers bridge systems for commercial and luxury yachts.

This week, his company is rolling out a new system called MEDS, or Maritime Early Detection System, that allows vessels to remotely monitor places on the ship that may be unmanned, infrequently visited, hard to access, or perhaps security soft spots such as the gangway.  It also monitors areas nearby the vessel which would alert the vessel to possible intruders.

The system involves the use of infrared tracking, day or night vision cameras which are activated by a network of lasers along the ship’s perimeter or the ship’s onboard radar equipment.  Their laser-based system provides a perimeter extending 80 meters from the sensor and once the sensor is triggered, a 15 second playback loop is then displayed on a console showing what triggered the sensor to come on, while continuing to record.  Various off-vessel alerts may be transmitted from the system to notify authorities or shore-based personnel.

“Shipboard security is the perhaps the most direct application of this, however in a man overboard scenario, this system would also come in very useful,” says Leone.  “Knowing exactly what has triggered the sensors to come on would allow the vessel operator to continuously monitor unmanned spaces, or locations on deck.”

Radio Zeeland notes the MEDS sensors detect any mass passing through the infrared sensor eye which is then passed through an algorithm allowing the system to differentiate between a humanoid or birds or small trash.

What is Radio Zeeland DMP perhaps better known for?

Really amazing looking bridge systems…. check out these photos, copyright Radio Zeeland DMP

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