Pattern recognition

military's miniature solution

Why Litton's MRQC system is ideal for military applications that require mature, real-time pattern-recognition support.
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Litton's MROC pattern recognition system is the only such device in existence and serves as a low-cost platform for research applications to demonstrate the potential of optical technology

Real-time pattern recognition has intriguing application possibilities for the military such as smart weapons and surveillance systems. It also has commercial uses that include factory line inspection, intelligent robotics, security, fingerprint recognition and medical imagery. Although the speed of digital computers has improved, it has been outpaced by the rapid increase in data complexity and computational needs to the point where only very large, sophisticated and expensive digital computers have been able to handle the real-time pattern-recognition task. Litton Data Systems has developed a viable correlator unit that is smaller, lighter, faster and more rugged than any other system currently available.
Litton's patented optical correlator, the Miniature Ruggedized Optical Correlator or MROC, combines digital flexibility with massively parallel computation. The MROC module contains an optical correlator along with the electronics required for its operation. The unit takes up less than 30 cubic inches of space and, based on ring laser gyro technology, is vibrationally insensitive and temperature stable.

This hybrid optical/digital processor provides 10-40 GOPS of computational ability in a unit, an order of magnitude smaller and less expensive than an equivalent digital system.
For the military the MROC system has been demonstrated in the rugged environment of a remotely piloted vehicle, is being readied for flight-testing with multiple sensors including a laser radar for future missile systems, and is being tested on weapons platforms and in advanced munitions in applications that will reduce fratricide and increase weapon effectiveness. In the commercial environment Litton has demonstrated MROC technology for ophthalmologic use where the device registers changes in retinal images to assist in the early detection of glaucoma, and for high-speed identification of and a new classification paradigm for fingerprints in national and international law-enforcement databases.
Litton's Optical Recognition System Simulator is a collection of object-orientated servers, a client-user interface, a recognition system configuration management database and an image database. It supports evaluation of MROC pattern-recognition applications, providing a simulation environment for rapid prototyping, development and evaluation. 		P143 Pic B.jpg (6574 bytes)
The Optical Recognition System Simulator can be used as a stand-alone solution or as a feasibility unit prior to incorporation in a real-time pattern-recognition system
The product addresses critical issues associated with today's pattern-recognition applications such as the evaluation of potential solutions to determine feasibility prior to purchase and optimisation and training after a solution is selected. Litton's MROC pattern-recognition system is the first miniature, manufacturable, optical processor in existence and is well positioned for the wide range of immediate applications requiring mature, real-time pattern-recognition support.

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