Quanergy Systems, Inc. received $200,000 from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) last week for the development of LiDAR-based technology for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging – is a means of surveying and sensing objects through laser lights. CBP intends to use the technology to expedite airport security and customs processing queues. Sunnyvale-Calif.-based Quanergy’s technology detects human presence, and anonymously analyzes and tracks both the walking paths and density of those travelers within the LiDAR’s field of view.
“CBP is in the process of transforming the way it inspects international arrivals in order to enhance security and facilitate the growing number of travelers,” Arun Vemury, S&T program manager, said. “Developing more accurate and flexible tools to analyze the way changes in operations impact processing and queue times could result in a powerful capability to collect quantitative data to inform decision-making in the facilitation of the flow of travelers.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates around 227 million international passengers entered U.S. ports of entry in 2017, with numbers expected to grow in years to come, making such detection efforts more important than ever. Quanergy received its award through the S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program, which can give up to $800,000 to prospective companies for adaptation of commercial technologies to homeland security use.