British scientists develop electro-optical cameras to track movement of terrorists

London, May 28 (ANI): British scientists have been trying out new sensor and data-processing systems in an airborne surveillance experiment at the military research laboratories at Porton Down in Wiltshire expecting to facilitate the disruption of terrorist activities.

The motive behind the groundbreaking testing is to track the movement of terrorists, particularly those using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

It is anticipated that the technology will help to save lives in war zones such as Afghanistan as well as in the UK.

IEDs are said to be the preferred weapon of choice for insurgents, as the UK forces do not easily detect them.

"During the last fortnight, planes and helicopters have been flying across the restricted airspace over Porton Down picking up a range of images and data. Electro-optical cameras that can identify people in unusual poses, such as holding a weapon, were used," The BBC reports.

"Think of it as the ultimate CCTV system. An incident occurs, perhaps an IED goes off, and we can use this host of data to back track over time," said Andrew Seedhouse, from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

"Who was near the scene and where were they before the incident? What buildings or vehicles can we now associate with the incident?" he claimed, adding that the research could help scientists to look for anomalies in behaviour and environment and alert appropriate forces before an incident occurred. (ANI)