Human Detection Sensor Could have Big Implications for Transportation and Industrial Automation

Olea Sensor Networks has developed a new sensor system that has the unique ability to differentiate between humans, animals and inanimate objects up to five-meters away.  Dubbed “OleaVision” the technology can sense distance for both moving and stationary applications.

This technology could represent a significant leap for pedestrian and bystander detection, animate-being detection (such as a sleeping child or pet accidentally left behind in a closed vehicle), collision avoidance, intrusion detection, fire safety and energy management for industries including:

·         Automotive/transportation

·         Industrial

·         Smart home

·         Security systems

OleaVision has the ability to "see" a living being, even through walls, regardless of whether the monitored subject is moving or motionless.

The ability to differentiate between human beings and other moving objects on the plant floor opens intriguing possibilities in industrial robotics. A “smart” guarding system for example, might differentiate between human hands and another robot’s end effector, allowing production machines to interact freely with each other while maintaining safety in case of human intervention. In autonomous vehicle operations on the shop floor and in the warehouse, replacement of simple proximally [proximity?] sensors with the technology could allow vehicles to operate in closer proximity to each other while maintaining OSHA compliant safety standards for workers.

Autonomously guided vehicles like this mold-handling robot from AVT Europe use proximity sensors for worker safety.