Advanced visionics and processing

New capabilities offered by advanced imaging technology are investigated in order to obtain all-weather, day/night, mid- to long-range images of the battlefield (range-gated imaging systems for situational awareness, 3D imaging).

Advanced signal and information processing is considered in order to enhance, analyse and interpret the information from optoelectronic sensors.

  • Embedded change detection system
  • Real-time image acquisition and stabilisation
  • Localisation based on video systems
  • Innovating active imaging systems
 
 

Acoustics & soldier protection

The objective is to improve the protection of soldiers:

  • at the individual level, by decreasing the combatant’s vulnerability (hearing protection, behind-armor effects caused by projectiles, fragments or blast) while improving his/her operational performance (audio communication, safety);
  • at the collective level, by enhancing the global perception of the battlefield thanks to the analysis of the acoustic environment (detection and localisation of snipers or incoming rounds).
  • Designing hearing protection devices
  • Providing protection against shock waves
  • Conducting research on acoustic detection
 
 

Protection against explosives & ballistic threats

The studies related to the physical protection of personnel and assets against explosives focus on conventional and novel military threats as well as on highly versatile improvised explosive devices (IEDs) such as multiphase blast explosives or home-made explosives.

ISL has long-standing experience in the field of ballistic protection. This activity is dedicated to defeating the threat caused by the kinetic energy of gun-fired projectiles, explosively formed penetrators or fragments.

Research activities combine experimental and theoretical investigations with numerical simulations. They focus on the mechanisms of impact, penetration and perforation and on the characterisation and modeling of materials at very high strain rates (metals, ceramics and fabrics).

  • Threat characterisation
  • Mitigation  of the effects of different  threats
  • Target protection
 

Radiation interactions with matter

High-energy lasers offer new possibilities of future defence systems . Our research activities are focused on the understanding and analysis of multiple phenomena generated when a laser radiation hits a target in order to develop physical and behavioural numerical models. Activities focus especially on 1-µm-wavelengths interacting with typical materials used in military targets such as metal alloys, composite structures or glasses.

Research activities also focus on the protection of optronic systems against laser aggression. In close collaboration with ISL's materials specialists, specific materials with nonlinear optical properties are developed. They are able to reduce the intensity of laser irradiation by several orders of magnitude.

In the field of THz spectroscopy ISL develops detection systems and innovating methods to characterise dangerous substances (explosives, toxins). These activities are carried out in close cooperation with universities all over the world in civilian and in military domains. We develop especially an application for the detection of falsified drugs and counterfeit medicines.

  • Modeling of thermal phenomena of the interaction between radiation and matter
  • Specific metrological tools
  • THz spectroscopy for the analysis and detection of suspicious molecules
 
 

ELSI: information processing by integrated sensors

Increasing the space-time precision of the operational picture for strategic superiority is a major asset for the safety of our troops. Innovative furtive electronic agents have to sense and collect the right information without overwhelming analysts and communication media.

Left on the battlefield, Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) have to provide long-term autonomous sensing of their environment. Bio-inspired multisensor systems are the best compromise between energy consumption and sensing efficiency (B-SAVED).

In order to quickly anticipate threats with UGS, innovative algorithms must be optimised to fit with embedded hardware computational resources (SmartCam).

Understanding the situation at the sensor level requires local knowledge, real-time and accurate event assessment by maximising the number of recognitions per second & per watt (e.g. TEAM project).

Facing highly evolving situations implies self-adaptive UGS. It is a major goal to design evolving hardware through autonomous learning.

  • Development of autonomous sensors for zone surveillance
  • Bio-inspired multiple-sensor systems
  • Algorithms for the autonomous learning of sensing systems
 
 

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