Introducing
the AVIAN Heartbeat Detector™
The Advanced Vehicle Interrogation And Notification System
detects the presence of persons hidden in vehicles. Using
the data from seismic sensors that are placed on the vehicle,
the AVIAN reads the shock wave generated by the beating
heart, which couples to any surface or object with which
the body is in contact. It collects the data and analyzes
them using advanced signal processing algorithms to detect
a hidden person in less than two minutes.
AVIAN on Site
The AVIAN System, or "heartbeat detector",
has been in place at this location since February of
1998. The Officers at the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice help demonstrate how the AVIAN system is used.
Inspecting a vehicle
Once the vehicle arrives, the driver turns the engine
off and exits the truck. The officers place the sensors
on the vehicle. It is important to position the sensors
on a flat metal surface on the vehicle's frame. This
is a large 4-axle vehicle with a full load, so all four
sensors are used.
Once the sensors are in place, the officer presses
the 4-axle button on the screen of the AVIAN computer.
There are four vehicle icons that initiate AVIAN’s
vehicle inspection process. The red dots underneath
each vehicle icon indicate the minimum number of sensors
that must be used on a vehicle of this type.
There is only one screen to deal with and, because
the operation is touch-screen, AVIAN is easy to learn
and easy to use. The graphs indicate the frequency and
strength of the vibration. The numbers and bars on the
left mark the relative strength of the vibration. The
results of the data are displayed on the top right corner
of the screen and in the blue message box at the bottom
of the screen.
The initial test indicates a pass, so Officer Armstrong
demonstrates what happens if there is a person on board.
The AVIAN system detects him easily and issues the "search"
indicator. When the testing is done, the sensors automatically
reel back into their case and the vehicle can pass.
From start to finish, the process can take less than
four minutes.
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