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What if Donald Trump’s proposed border wall wasn’t a physical wall?
Drones +
integrated fixed towers +
LiDar +
Fiber optic sensing =
The “smart” wall.
Let’s take a look at how each of these technologies fits together to form the smart wall. /1 bit.ly/2vYxXHM
Drones +
integrated fixed towers +
LiDar +
Fiber optic sensing =
The “smart” wall.
Let’s take a look at how each of these technologies fits together to form the smart wall. /1 bit.ly/2vYxXHM
First up: Drones.
A few older models are being used at the border now as an easy way to monitor and detect activity along treacherous terrain that’s unsafe for personnel to patrol.
The new models being proposed for the smart wall are lighter and cheaper: /2
A few older models are being used at the border now as an easy way to monitor and detect activity along treacherous terrain that’s unsafe for personnel to patrol.
The new models being proposed for the smart wall are lighter and cheaper: /2
But there are limitations — sUAS drones can only fly for around 2 hours at a time and only in fair weather. And Customs and Border Patrol is legally restricted by the FAA to fly drones between 25 to 60 miles of the US-Mexico border, excluding urban areas. /3
Next: Surveillance towers.
The CBP uses integrated fixed towers (or IFTs), which are 80 to 140 foot-tall metal structures, to monitor wide stretches of land for a long period of time. /4
The CBP uses integrated fixed towers (or IFTs), which are 80 to 140 foot-tall metal structures, to monitor wide stretches of land for a long period of time. /4
Anduril, a 2-year-old startup that’s been heralded in national defense circles, even offers an AI-backed version that the company says can automatically detect people, vehicles, and animals. /5
Next: AI.
To streamline the manpower needed to review images from drones and surveillance towers, a batch of Silicon Valley-backed companies with machine-learning algorithms have offered their services to CBP. /6
To streamline the manpower needed to review images from drones and surveillance towers, a batch of Silicon Valley-backed companies with machine-learning algorithms have offered their services to CBP. /6
Last: sensors, sensors, everywhere.
Thousands of sometimes-faulty ground sensors are already in place.
Lidar, the same tech that some driverless cars use, and fiber optic sensing technologies are two new kinds of sensors that could be used instead. /7
Thousands of sometimes-faulty ground sensors are already in place.
Lidar, the same tech that some driverless cars use, and fiber optic sensing technologies are two new kinds of sensors that could be used instead. /7
Anduril says their AI-backed surveillance towers cost less per mile than a chain link fence, a much smaller cost compared to the $8.6 billion requested by Trump to build a physical wall.
@SpeakerPelosi, @SenatorTester and other members of Congress are interested. /8
@SpeakerPelosi, @SenatorTester and other members of Congress are interested. /8
Sounds great, right? Not just yet. Privacy is a big concern. Advocates argue that a virtual wall using unregulated tech could propel us into a state of perpetual surveillance that could infringe upon the human rights of immigrants and US citizens alike. /9
Keep reading for more on how much a “smart” wall could save the US government in funding and man hours to patrol the border and if this cost-saving tech is worth the privacy risks. /10 bit.ly/2vYxXHM
