ViDAR and Edge Autonomy’s Stalker complete successful live demos

Port Melbourne-based Sentient Vision Systems has successfully completed live demonstrations of its AI-enabled ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging) payload deployed on California-based Edge Autonomy’s VXE30 Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS).

The VXE30 vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) solution is the latest and most advanced version of the ‘Stalker’ series of small UASs from Edge Autonomy. When coupled with Sentient’s ViDAR, the VXE30 provides a passive, wide area search capability, enabling it to serve a myriad of maritime operations.

ViDAR, developed by Sentient, utilizes AI, Computer Vision, and Machine Learning integrated with Electro-Optic and Infrared (EO/IR) sensors to passively detect objects that are difficult to spot by the human eye or recognize on a conventional radar. With these enhanced capabilities, Stalker will be more capable of accurately detecting and locating people, objects, and vessels far from the operator both by day and by night.

“The integration of ViDAR onto the VXE30 is an essential part of our UAS deployment program,” said Joshua Stinson, Edge Autonomy’s Chief Growth Officer. “ViDAR’s passive detection system will further the VXE30’s capabilities to remain undetected in a contested environment while carrying a powerful maritime detection sensor that provides a real-time picture of the maritime domain. This capability could make all the difference in a mission’s success.”

The ViDAR system has been deployed on Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) maritime patrol and border protection missions  as well as search and rescue missions since 2015. ViDAR is proven to be effective in challenging maritime conditions up to Sea State 6 (very rough with waves 13 to 20 feet high).

Sentient has successfully evolved ViDAR into a compact, lightweight, low power form factor—low SWaP (size, weight, and power) — suitable for deployment on small Group 2 / NATO Class 1 UAS such as the VXE30. Its successful integration onto the VXE30 demonstrates its broad operating envelope and ability to provide unprecedented long-endurance imaging capability in contested environments all around the world.

With close to 4,500 systems deployed, Sentient’s AI-enabled sensor edge solutions for wide area motion imagery are proven for detection in missions worldwide.