The ViDAR Pod uses Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) technology enhanced by artificial intelligence to passively track targets in real time. Shield AI claims the system marks a significant advancement in covert surveillance by detecting and classifying threats using optical tracking methods.
“For too long, detection at scale has been dominated by radar, but ViDAR changes that paradigm,” said Christian Gutierrez, Vice President of Hivemind Solutions at Shield AI. “As modern battlefields become more contested, platforms must detect, locate, classify, and track threats without relying on active emissions.”
Housed in a compact 60-centimetre tube, the ViDAR Pod is equipped with multi-spectral cameras, an integrated processor, and a separate inertial measurement unit. The configuration supports flexible mounting options and delivers full day and night operational coverage in a single, lightweight package.
Among its key capabilities, the ViDAR Pod provides real-time surveillance over wide areas and can detect a broad range of threats including moving individuals, vehicles, dark vessels, and semi-submersibles. Shield AI states the pod performs beyond other sensors of similar weight class, offering high-value detection for missions such as illegal fishing, smuggling, and force protection.
Designed for Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), the pod also suits rotary and small fixed-wing aircraft. It complements existing radar systems by identifying targets with low radar cross sections, strengthening intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
Source: Shield AI (press release).
