Hood River, OR, May 28, 2014 -- Hood Tech Vision’s imaging systems have proven useful in fighting wildfires, according to a demonstration program in Australia this past January. The imaging systems successfully monitored and reported on the movement of a fire at night, a task rarely performed using manned aircraft.

From: Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: May 27, 2014
Subject: Where Wildfires Lead, Hood Tech Vision’s UAV Imaging Systems Follow
Contact: Dr. Andy von Flotow, Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., 541-387-2288, [email protected]

“Fire commanders used the imagery to assess the movement of the fire front and pinpoint the locations of high-risk spot fires well ahead of the front itself.” So writes the author of an article reporting on the demonstration of Hood Tech Vision’s imaging systems at night a board a popular, small UAV (http://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/scaneagle-demonstrated-in-firefighting-role). The author continues to report that “…response assets were mobilized more quickly and safely, because their position relative to the location and movement of the fire could be actively monitored from the emergency services headquarters.” Hood Tech Vision produces infrared and electro-optical imagers that can help fight wildfires day or night, providing the incident commander with real-time data on the fire and his team’s efforts to control it.

When Hood Tech began producing 800-gm video-camera turrets in 1998, it enabled an entirely new class of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Hood Technology Vision now designs and manufactures imaging and video processing systems at the highest level of the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS): level 9. Hood Tech matches embedded stabilization technology with electro-optical lenses that zoom up to 200 times. This results in a field of view of 0.3 degrees, in a package that weighs from less than one to six kg. Hood Tech Vision imagers consume as little as one-fifth the power common for such systems, increasing the power budget to other sensors for Multi-INT missions. Designed for manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), boats, land vehicles, and towed and stationary mounts, the reliability and utility of Hood Tech’s daylight and thermal imaging products has been demonstrated over more than 750,000 hours of use in a variety of temperatures, humidity, dust, smoke, haze, and other environmental factors (http://www.hoodtechvision.com).

Dr. Andy von Flotow founded Hood Technology in Hood River, Oregon in 1992. Along with the design and manufacture of stabilized imaging systems, Hood Tech:

Develops, tests, and manufactures launch and retrieval systems for UAVs
Operates controlled launch and quiet wind tunnel test facilities
Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, including diagnostic methods that predict possible future failures.

The Hood Tech web site is: www.hoodtech.com

Contact:
Andy von Flotow
Hood Tech
1750 Country Club Rd.
Hood River, OR 97031
541-387-2288
[email protected]
http://www.hoodtech.com