The Tactical Imager for Night/Day Extended Range Surveillance (TINDERS) project, expected to begin in Spring 2008, aims to develop a lightweight tactical imaging system capable of covert nighttime face recognition at ranges up to a half mile. Funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) following a highly-competitive solicitation, this three year, $4 million program will use short-wave infrared (SWIR) illumination and imaging to enable a critical new surveillance capability for expeditionary forces. The WVHTC Foundation will be the prime contractor and technical lead on this project that will also include three industry-leading subcontractors. Technical Objectives: The TINDERS system to be developed under this program will:

• Use eye-safe, invisible, SWIR illumination to produce clear imagery, day or night, with image quality completely independent of ambient lighting conditions.
• Produce close-up facial images, suitable for face recognition, of targets ranging from 20 m to 800 m away.
• Produce imagery suitable for detection of people and vehicles up to 8 km away.
• Include an ultra-lightweight motorized 40X zoom assembly optimized for long-range face recognition.
• Automatically lock onto and track a moving target.
• Function as a PTZ follower camera in an automated leader/follower system.
• Run advanced software such as the TAVI system, also being developed for ONR by WVHTCF and its partners.
• Weigh less than 10 pounds (not including pan-tilt stage, tripod/mount, and computer/controller box)