TiaLinx's Cougar20-H Mini-Robot Probes for Human Breathing

TiaLinx Inc. has introduced the Cougar20-H mini-robot system that's capable of motion detection as well as probing for a person's breathing in a compound while being remotely controlled from long standoff distances, the company announced.

The lightweight and agile mini-robot with a tractable arm has been integrated with TiaLinx's fine beam ultra-wideband (UWB), multi-gigahertz radio frequency (RF) sensor array.

The system provides long standoff surveillance of a location to track movement and detect motionless live objects. TiaLinx's real-time UWB RF imaging development was sponsored by an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Phase II grant from the Army's PEO AMMO, PM-CCS.

The Cougar20-H can be remotely guided from long distances to perform mission-critical tasks via a software-controlled interface on a laptop. Integrated multiple cameras allow day and night visibility of a location under surveillance for enhanced situational awareness.

Capability to probe the compound at standoff keeps the Cougar20-H out of harm's way.

The RF scanner is mounted on a lightweight arm and transmits wideband signals that are highly directional and can penetrate a reinforced concrete wall at an extended range. In the receiver, a signal detector circuit is employed to capture the reflections from targets. Amplitude and delay information are then processed in an integrated signal processor.

"Cougar20-H has the capability to sense-through-the-wall
(STTW) at farther distances than Cougar10-L that was launched last month," according to Fred Mohamadi, founder and CEO of TiaLinx. "Cougar20-H can also be remotely programmed at multiple way points to scan the desired premise in a multi-story building and provide its layout. In contrast only Cougar10-L is capable of scanning a premise horizontally for unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as vertically to STTW."