Product monitors great distances in real time through an innovative geolocation system
The Brazilian Company for Industrial Research and Innovation (EMBRAPII) and the Center for Research and Development in Telecommunications (CPQD), the EMBRAPII Unit in Advanced Communications, have teamed up with startup Alfa Sense to develop an innovative technology aimed at security perimeters of up to 20 kilometers. The product, called FENCE SMART, brings among its differentials the ability to monitor large distances through optical fiber, with real-time detection of an invasion attempt, for example.
An advanced geolocation system and a software with special algorithms are responsible for classifying the detected occurrences along the protected area, transforming all captured vibrations into unique signatures as a kind of “fingerprint”. Thus, the automatic filtering of common events (such as rain, wind, birds, etc.) with alarm emission, in real time, occurs only for situations that represent an effective threat, such as: wall breaking, climbing, excavation, fence cutting, among others. And in places where it is not possible to build walls or fences, such as environmental protection areas (APA), it is possible to install the equipment on the ground and create a virtual barrier to detect footsteps and vehicles, increasing security and respecting the environment.
The FENCE SMART project, supported by EMBRAPII, included the development of software and hardware. The product is expected to reach the market in early 2023. The potential customers are vertical or horizontal condominiums, ports, industries, airports, mining areas, photovoltaic or wind power plants, bank branches, grain warehouses, power substations, and public buildings, for example.
Overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic
Alfa Sense’s business director, Hamilton Luiz, emphasizes that the development of this system and the manufacturing of the product are unprecedented in the country in the security area. Hamilton indicates that the set of circumstances was challenging because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which generated shortage of some raw materials on a global scale, such as semiconductors. “The development of the system with CPQD was very synergistic for us to deliver a high-level technology such as FENCE SMART. There was dedication on all sides so that we could present the results we had proposed ourselves”, he evaluates, highlighting that the EMBRAPII Unit’s team maintained the deliveries according to the established schedule, even with the external events.
Marcos Sanches, manager of Sensing Technologies and Optical Communications at CPQD, says that this is a technological innovation of great importance for the perimeter security market, because it meets the needs of this segment, generating value and creating opportunities. “The equipment is easy to install, highly reliable, durable, and requires little maintenance. It is an innovative technological solution of quality, with good cost-benefit and greater reliability, which meets the security market in an innovative way”, he explains.
He also says that the product stimulates the country’s production chain, because for production on a commercial scale it is necessary to have partners in the industry, in transportation, in the acquisition of components for manufacturing, for example. Thus, according to Sanches, an entire indirect infrastructure chain is generated from the production of this equipment.
Solution comes from market demands and challenges
The startup Alfa Sense used its experience with security products and the demands of the market to develop FENCE SMART. The solutions offered to protect distances were previously limited to four kilometers. “Brazil is challenging and has a demanding market: besides the demand for excellent technology, there is the challenge of the territory, with very varied perimeters. And, for example, as the country is a world champion in lightning, it had to be an equipment with a field sensor that would not burn out, with a useful life of more than 25 years and immune to any type of electromagnetic interference. Based on this set of factors, it was necessary to develop an advanced, versatile, and durable solution for the market,” explains the startup’s director.
Hamilton highlights the importance of the support received by EMBRAPII: “Our partnership with EMBRAPII and CPQD, with a capital P, was fundamental for the success of our project, contributing to Brazil’s prominence as an international reference in the development and manufacture of high technology. I would like to encourage other entrepreneurs to seek EMBRAPII, because it is an extremely agile and committed cooperation, which helps the entrepreneur a lot in his goals. I consider EMBRAPII a strategic partner for any technological advance”.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***