ODF Optronics' Close-in Recon Systems Stick, Roll And Stir
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Thuersday 17rd March, 2005 (UPI)

Mar 17, 2005 (Defense Daily/Access Intelligence via COMTEX) -- TEL AVIV, Israel--The Smart Arrow and Eye Ball R1 reconnaissance systems produced by Israel's ODF Optronics created a stir among visitors when they were presented at an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and industry low-intensity conflict (LIC) exhibition here recently.

"We've had a wonderful response from everybody that has stopped in to see Smart Arrow," Ehud Gal, ODF's president and CEO, told Defense Daily. "Many including [soldiers] and security [personnel] from Israel and abroad have come back to say this is the most interesting new product they have seen here."

The Smart Arrow introduced at the exhibition is designed to be shot from a rifle towards a target, stick into the target and transmit real-time and continuous video to a remote display and control unit for several hours.

It attaches to the barrel of most infantry and sniper rifles and is launched when a bullet is fired. ODF has several configurations with different sticking mechanisms and mechanical dimensions of the projectiles, Itsik Kattan, the company's CEO, told Defense Daily yesterday.

It can stick into "any type of solid target" and even has an option for small explosive heads to assist the projectile embedding in the hardest surfaces, Gal said.

Smart Arrow can be launched to a range "of several dozens of meters" and can stick into a target smaller than about a foot and a half square, Kattan said.

Once the tip of the Arrow is embedded, the body--containing a small video camera--pivots from a ball joint and hangs below the head. Then it begins to transmit live images from the surrounding area to a remote display and control unit.

This unique ability allows the operator to view an "out of sight" area, such as an alley, before friendly ground troops overtake the position--a process that could be dangerous and time consuming, Kattan said.

"It can also be shot into the wall above a window then...[swivel down and] transmit what's going on inside," Gal said.

The display and control unit is small and highly portable and allows the operator to rotate the camera on the Smart Arrow while video is transmitted continuously. The LCD display screen is about six and a half inches in size and the unit can operate for about three hours continuously on a single charge.

The video transmission range is about 300 meters outdoors, and several hundred feet if, for example, the system was shot through a window and embedded in an interior wall or ceiling, Gal said. Smart Arrow will transmit for about eight hours, he added.

Designed specifically for urban warfare and LIC, the system also has applications for a host of anti-terrorism, remote surveillance and perimeter security missions, Gal said.

The Arrow can transmit the image to several receivers, allowing joint force coordination before a ground and air assault on a target, Kattan said.

The sensor has a 60-degree field of view with a frame rate of 25 per second and a resolution of 420 TV lines (tvl) in black and white and 320 tvl in color.

A Smart Arrow system includes two projectiles, one control unit and a charger in a rugged transport case.

Smart Arrow follows ODF's Eye Ball R1 compact mobile reconnaissance system introduced last year. Both systems are patent pending. American law enforcement personnel recently placed "a large purchase order" for Eye Ball, Gal said.

The Eye Ball incorporates a 360-degree rotating sensor, which enables real time wireless video and audio transmission in a hand-held durable ball that can be thrown into remote and potentially dangerous locations. On most surfaces, the ball rolls until it self-stabilizes or comes to rest on small feet that orient the sphere. It is designed to sustain heavy shocks, vibration and harsh environmental conditions, Gal said.

As with Smart Arrow, a remote unit displays the image received from Eye Ball and controls the rotation direction of the sensor. Omni-directional audio detection is possible for human voices from a distance of five meters.

Military applications for Eye Ball are also similar, including counter- terrorism, urban warfare and LIC operations where soldiers are faced with buildings, tunnels, caves or any hidden or dangerous areas. Eye Ball can also be used for search and rescue situations and can be deployed into collapsed structures to locate trapped victims.

Remington Arms Technologies Division is currently selling the Eye Ball in the United States , based on a distribution agreement between the two companies, Kattan said.

The wireless transmission range for Eye Ball is several hundred feet, and the sensor has an option for automatic motion detection. It operates on a small motor powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery that provides for continuous rotation and transmission for up to two hours.

A system contains two Eye Ball sensors and a portable display and control unit that can operate two sensors simultaneously. It also contains unique software and hardware that enable control over the Eye Balls from a computer. A special command kit allows capture of the transmitted image from the rotating sensor and presentation of 360-degree continuous image on a computer screen.

Eye Ball and another ODF product called Gatekeeper--a multi-sensor mobile wireless security system--are currently in use by IDF Special Operations Forces, Gal said.

Gal established ODF in 2001. The company focuses on development, manufacture and sale of advanced products for defense and security applications. "The consumers are showing a lot of interest in our products, since the development of these products comes from the [ODF team's] deep familiarity ...with contemporary needs of urban warfare," Kattan said.