THE NEXT WAVE OF THERMAL IMAGERS
RedShift Systems Corp., Monterey, Calif., has spun off as an independent company from Aegis Semiconductor Inc., Woburn, Mass. — and the result may be faster adaptation of thermal imaging as a Homeland security tool. RedShift’s core technology enables manufacturers to include thermal imaging capability in a variety of products.
“We are able to take these technologies that previously were extremely expensive and complex and offer them as standard products for a few thousand dollars, so they can be broadly commercialized,” says Stuart Nixdorff, Redshift Systems vice president of sales and marketing. “Anyone wanting to monitor a parking lot, fence or other outdoor environment can have a thermal imaging camera. Our goal is to make it a mass market product for government security users.”
Redshift is currently designing a chip to allow standard CMOS-based cameras to “see” thermal images. Thermal imaging can detect movement of objects including people and cars with a heat signature and could be deployed for Homeland security at chemical plants, pipelines and government offices.
“Most facilities already have a security video system, and we want to add the ability to produce a thermal image, giving the security guard the ability to look at large, unlit areas,” says Matthias Wagner, RedShift’s CEO. “This has been the preferred imaging technology by the military for a number of years but they were the only ones who could afford it. Now we want to make it available for the common security installation and first responder applications.”
Originally developed at Princeton University and further commercialized by Aegis, RedShift’s core technology is mature — the Aegis technology from which it was born is now operating in major telecommunications platforms — and may be manufactured using standard processes in volume foundries.