ARGUS-IS is a 1.8 gigapixel camera, by DARPA and the US Army. The video surveillance equipment can resolve object as small as six inches from an altitude of 6km (20,000 feet). This is the highest resolution surveillance camera in the world so far or betters still, the world’s highest resolution camera.
ARGUS would be attached to an unnamed UAV drone and taken to an altitude around 20,000 feet is able to view 25 square kilometers (10sqmi) area. For example, if the world’s highest resolution camera was flown to hover above New York City, it could capture half of Manhattan. Attaching two ARGUS could make the US keep an eye on the entire Manhattan 24/7.
This video shows ARGUS in function, you can see how amazing this is.
ARGUS can capture video at 12 fps with an imaging power of 1.8 billion pixels; the world’s highest resolution camera can clearly pick flying birds on the sky. The 1.8 gigapixel powers were made possible via 368 smaller sensors which DARPA/BAE claimed to be just 5 megapixel smartphone camera sensors. The totalities of the 368 sensors were focused on the ground through tetra image-stabilized telescopic lenses.
This combination creates 600 gigabytes of data per second, part will be processed, and others stored for later analysis. All ARGUS’ data cannot be sent to the control room; therefore, DARPA has created Persistics, software which is able to identify ground objects and indefinitely tracking them.
The initial intention behind ARGUS, the world’s highest resolution camera was to get it deployed in Afghanistan, but scrapped; the war is winding down before the project could be completed. The best place ARGUS could be used is at home in the US where it will be strapped to a Predator drone for surveillance purposes.
Does this technology amaze you? The world’s highest resolution Camera, 1.8 Gigapixels or 1.8 billion pixels.
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Absolutely mind blowing. For me, the craziest part is that the ARGUS can capture video at 12 FPS. Most film still runs at 24 FPS, so for a surveillance camera to operate at half the speed of a movie–all from a height of 20,000 feet–is truly a feat of 21st century technology. It’s a little intimidating as well to realize how thoroughly a population can be recorded without their knowledge.
That’s technology advancement for you John. But you should also look at the darker side of people’s action – this kind of camera can be used to help us reveal evil activities hidden as well or what do you think? 🙂
You’re definitely right about that–I’m sure the ARGUS’ camera will go a long way toward monitoring suspicious people. It’s just crazy to think that while you’re getting out of your car in an empty parking lot, 20,000 feet overhead there’s a bit of technology that can actually see what kind of shoes you’re wearing.
We just have to accept new technology that has much benefits to offer us. I think this is cool technology development.