printer friendly version

A South African security first

South African company Ambrosys designed, manufactures and has launched a new intrusion detection system that obviates the need for traditional passive motion detectors or beams. A first in the world, LightScan is a laser-based security device using the principles of active infrared (AIR) scanning.

According to the company, LightScan “actively saturates the secured area with laser emissions and all intrusions are tracked live from the time they enter the functional range of the AIR scanner”. There are no fixed beams or boundaries that have to be crossed, the secured area is saturated with laser pulses, with over 150 000 readings being analysed every second.

John Loftus, MD at MASS Distribution, the African distributor of LightScan, says a single system can cover an area with a radius of up to 50 metres, scanning the entire area every second. Specifically, the high-speed infrared laser rotates through 360 degrees once per second and generates a live image of the surrounding terrain.

The system is independent of lighting conditions (because it’s infrared) and its long range means it can be deployed far from perimeters where intruders can damage or deactivate it. It also sports a tamper alarm in case someone does get close enough to try and disarm it.

To prevent false alarms, LightScan is able to learn the area it’s covering in order to avoid raising the alarm when plants move, for example. Users are also able to specify safe zones in which motion will not raise the alarm. Paths for guard tours, for example, can be designated safe areas and a guard on duty will not raise an alarm as long as he stays on the path. If he leaves the safe area, however, an alarm is raised.

The system has up to 64 relays available as standard, which users can connect to lights, alarms, cameras, audio transmissions and so forth. As soon as the system detects an unknown intrusion, the appropriate alarm systems can be activated.

Phil Rhodes from Ambrosys adds that the image looks “somewhat like a radar screen, and is able to detect intruders at long range, pre-detect through fences and palisades, track multiple intruders simultaneously on live screen and react to that intrusion autonomously or semi autonomously, as required by the user.”

He adds that most security systems are unable to accurately pinpoint an intruder. An alarm is sounded when a zone or area is breached and it is up to the response teams to locate the intruders. LightScan accurately tracks intruders to within 50 cm of their actual position and refreshes this position data every second, making it simple for a response team to move swiftly to the intruders and minimise reaction time.

“Multiple intruders are also tracked, so multiple responders can be accurately guided to areas of concern. If selected by the user, LightScan can also act in an autonomous or semi autonomous fashion to trigger physical security measures such as lighting, cameras, visual and audio designators etc.”

What’s more, Loftus says any intrusion is fully auditable. This means users or control room operators can track when and where an intrusion occurred, what the individuals did while within the monitored zones, and when and where they exited.

One of the reasons Mass decided to distribute the technology is its ease of installation, which Loftus says takes a few minutes to ensure it is level. More importantly, Loftus says the LightScan only requires maintenance every five years, making it extremely cost effective.

Share this article:

Further reading: