Headwall & Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Awarded Contract for High-Endurance Fixed-Wing Hyperspectral Imaging UAV for Wide Area Precision Agriculture

Project funded in part by the BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation

Bolton, MA – August 1, 2019 –Headwall, the industry leader in turnkey hyperspectral imaging solutions for remote sensing and precision agriculture, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a leader in UAV technology, announced that a project valued at approximately $1 million USD for large-scale precision agriculture has been awarded by the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation to develop a high endurance UAV and hyperspectral imaging solution for agricultural customers with thousands of hectares of crops.

Development of the Precision Agriculture Decision Support System will utilise a custom-designed and manufactured wide-area hyperspectral imaging payload and a fixed-wing UAV designed for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions, as well as analytics that allow accurate assessment of crop and soil conditions as well as crop disease over a wide area with high resolution and positional accuracy.

“Headwall has always strived for commercialisation of advanced spectral imaging technology for the benefit of customers worldwide,” David Bannon, CEO of Headwall commented. “IAI combines rugged and reliable military technology with commercial know-how for this project to assist farmers with decisions based on comprehensive yet rapid reports made possible by our sensor systems. Deployment of high endurance solutions for wide area data acquisition integrated with advanced hyperspectral and multispectral sensors is a game changer for the agriculture industry”.

Projects submitted to the BIRD Foundation are reviewed by evaluators appointed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Israel Innovation Authority.

Dr. Amiram Appelbaum, Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority and co-Chairman of BIRD’s Board of Governors said, “The U.S. is one of Israel’s major partners for innovation. We are proud of our long-standing collaboration with the BIRD Foundation that has resulted in such spectacular successes over the decades and numerous groundbreaking technological innovations offered by both Israeli and U.S recipients of the grant. We are confident that this year’s grant recipients in the various fields and the new projects approved will prove vital for the population worldwide.”

About Headwall

Headwall Photonics is a leading designer and manufacturer of spectral instrumentation for remote sensing, advanced machine vision, and government/defense markets. With a worldwide base of end-user and OEM customers, Headwall enjoys a market leadership position through the design and manufacture of spectral solutions that are customised for application-specific performance. The Company is based in Massachusetts where it has two locations (Bolton and Fitchburg). European operations (Headwall BVBA) are located near Brussels, Belgium.

About IAI

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is a leader in both the defense and commercial markets, delivering state-of-the-art technologies and systems in all domains – providing customers with tailored, cutting-edge solutions in the unique challenges that they face. IAI provides a wide range of solutions and services from special mission aircraft to advanced unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

About the BIRD Foundation

The BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Foundation works to encourage and facilitate cooperation between U.S. and Israeli companies in a wide range of technology sectors and offers funding to selected projects.

Hyperspectral Imaging in Quality Control for the Global Meat Industry

Let’s take a look at the role of Hyperspectral Imaging in Quality and Integrity for the Global Meat Industry.

One of the international speakers at next week’s ICoMST 2018 (64^th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology) is Dr Marlon dos Reis, Senior Scientist – Food and Bio-based Products at AgResearch in New Zealand.

ICoMST is to be held in Melbourne with the theme of Quality and Integrity for Global Consumers. e.g. Test whether lamb meat is really lamb.

We can’t wait to hear Dr dos Reis speak on “Chemometrics and hyperspectral imaging applied to assessment of chemical, textural and structural characteristics of meat”, corresponding to his work to be published in Volume 144 of the Meat Science Journal (October 2018)

A video of Dr dos Reis’ presentation will be available after the congress.

Applications for Chemometrics in Meat Science

In his career, Dr dos Reis has focus ed on the application and development of spectroscopic techniques for the assessment of meat, including techniques based on nuclear magnetic resonance, NIR spectroscopy and Hyperspectral imaging.

Attracted to AgResearch in New Zealand in 2007, Marlon is excited to apply chemometrics across so many applications and we are excited to learn from him first-hand. In an interview recorded on the AgResearch website, he explained his current projects.

“In Chemometrics we develop and apply statistical and mathematical models to interpret and do better use of data related to chemistry. For example in food assurance we collected spectroscopic data (e.g. near infrared spectra) which brings lots of information about the chemical composition and structure of food.

“This type of data is very easy to collect but needs chemometric models to be useful. So I develop chemometric models for applications such authentication (e.g. test whether lamb meat is really lamb), to predict functional attributes (e.g. bulk density of dairy powder) assess whether the product is still within the expected shelf-life and others.”

A Major Focus for Headwall Photonics and Portable Analytical Solutions (PAS)

Headwall’s Infrared Hyperspectral solutions offer a depth of vision far beyond the capabilities of any other technology.

It is a major step forward in the successful detection of foreign matter and pathogens that are unseen visually but impact the safety of the foods we eat. From poultry and seafood to lamb, beef, and specialty crops, spectral imaging delivers a level of material classification that far exceeds typical RGB cameras.

PAS has been the Australia / New Zealand distributor of Headwall spectral imaging including the award-winning Hyperspec® instruments since 2013. We provide sales support, service and training for these application-specific, rugged and versatile analysers.

Contact PAS about these key products

Headwall Photonics Increases It’s Visibility

Headwall Photonics

A vibrant new website from Headwall Photonics highlights even more clearly its impressive array of industry-leading spectrometry instrumentation and brilliant industry solutions.

Catering for diverse applications across Remote Sensing, Advanced Machine Vision, Medical/Biotech and Defense/Government, the new site provides greater ease of navigation.

This enables site visitors to quickly appreciate how Headwall’s range of products correspond with specific demands for data capture, management and analysis.

Headwall’s Spectral Imaging Sensors are used EVERYWHERE!

PAS is excited about the benefits of the new site for our customers who may be time-poor, overloaded with information and working on a deadline.

One valuable page on the new site is Published Research which catalogues selected scholarly articles demonstrating some of the myriad of applications for spectral instruments.

“These papers describe just a sampling of the fascinating applications using Headwall’s hyperspectral and multispectral imaging sensors,” the page reads. “From remote sensing and medical/biotech to cultural preservation and food inspection, Headwall is THE industry leader in spectral imaging solutions.”

Access Headwall through Portable Analytical Solutions

Contact PAS about these key products

Headwall Nano Hyperspec On DJI

Headwall Hyperspec Nano

Headwall Hyperspec Nano With Vector Nav

Precision Ag history heralds bright future

Over the past two decades, precision ag history has been marked by rapid development and positive outcomes.

Precision ag has become, well, much more precise.

According to David Mulla from the University of Minnesota, USA, in his article on Precision Ag history, “Spectral bandwidth has decreased dramatically with the advent of hyperspectral remote sensing, allowing improved analysis of specific compounds, molecular interactions, crop stress, and crop biophysical or biochemical characteristics.“

Portable Analytical Solutions has relished our partnership with spectrometry specialist Headwall Photonics as we equip agribusiness with higher-quality data and more sophisticated planning and risk reduction. The result has been greater profitability, identification and mitigated risk and increased crop security.

This 2017 slideshow gallery includes actual product used by Jeff Boyer, superintendent of the Davis-Purdue Agricultural Center near Farmland, Indiana, USA.

Do any of these ‘museum exhibits’ look familiar?

If you are more interested in the future of precision ag, remote sensing or groundtruthing, speak to PAS today.

Case Study – Hyperspectral Imaging Fights Citrus Blight

Precision Ag Case Study

Hyperspectral Imaging Fights Citrus Blight

How can hyperspectral imaging make a difference to precision agriculture? Consider this example of a US project to inspect orange groves, looking for citrus blight disease, which used a Headwall Photonics’ Hyperspec® VNIR hyperspectral solution with an OEM camera mounted on a UAV.

With hyperspectral imaging, this can be seen 300-400 meters above the crops covering a large area quickly (mounted on UAVs), allowing quick action to eliminate the spread and minimise the destruction.

Had only multispectral sensing been employed, this level of detail would not have been available and the correct decisions would not have been taken. Crop loss due to disease, such as citrus blight, and inaction leads to the loss of millions of dollars and the loss of a whole season in many cases.

PAS is the exclusive distributor of Headwall’s range of industry-leading hyperspectral solutions, and customises them for the demands of specific applications.

Precision ag: Multi Spec Vs Hyperspec

What’s the difference between multispectral and hyperspectral?

Imagine we could safely view the world through the eyes of different creatures, enabling us to view infrared radiation, ultraviolet light and reflected electromagnetic energy*. Well, we can, with the use of multispectral and hyperspectral sensors.

Each technology is able to sense (“see”) outside the range of normal human vision. The difference is the number of bands and the narrowness of the bands.

Multispectral imagery generally refers to 3-10 wide bands, using a remote sensing radiometer.

Hyperspectral imagery consists of many more bands (hundreds or thousands) that are much narrower (10-20nm), using an imaging spectrometer.

Why does it matter for precision ag?

It’s a question of detail.

The more detailed the spectral information recorded by a sensor, the more information that can be extracted from the spectral signatures.

Hyperspectral sensors have much more detailed signatures than multispectral sensors and thus provide the ability to detect more subtle differences in aquatic and terrestrial features.

Consider this example about a US project to inspect orange groves, looking for citrus blight disease, which used a Headwall Photonics’ Hyperspec® VNIR hyperspectral solution with an OEM camera mounted on a UAV.

Citrus blight destroys the vitality of trees and can spread throughout the grove. One of the early signs of this disease is a byproduct secreted on the surface of the leaves. Inspection for this used to require a person climbing a ladder to inspect the top of each tree. More often, growers might not know of a problem until trees started dying. With hyperspectral imaging, this can be seen 300-400 meters above the crops covering a large area quickly (mounted on UAVs), allowing quick action to eliminate the spread and minimise the destruction.

For precision ag, the more detail, the better.

Imagine flying over a property and looking down at fields of different colours and appearance. You might decide you know what is planted in each paddock, with accuracy dependent on how low you are flying.

With multispectral detection, you would certainly be able to see differences between various elements, such as a tree plantation versus another crop.

With hyperspectral capabilities, you will see individual trees and plants, and even the subtle differences in the EMR emitted by disease and soil moisture levels etc.

In its 2017-2019 Strategic Plan, the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ first goal is Innovation in primary industries to improve resilience and boost productivity.

There is no doubt that hyperspectral imagery is the most advanced precision ag solution to transform our analysis and optimisation of production, risk management, use of resources and reducing disease.

Talk to PAS about the possibilities for the use of hyperspectral solutions in your agricultural context.

https://gisgeography.com/multispectral-vs-hyperspectral-imagery-explained/
https://www.adimec.com/how-is-hyperspectral-imaging-advancing-agriculture/

Coastal Exploration and Spectral Vision

Coastal Exploration with Hyperspectral Imaging

Valued PAS customer, Queensland University of Technology is using Headwall’s hyperspectral sensors to examine the beautiful Ningaloo Reef on Western Australia’s mid-north coast which has received a very positive conservation rating from World Heritage Outlook.

When UNESCO reported last year that the world’s coral reefs were likely to disappear by 2100, many Australians saw the need for immediate action. Thanks to cutting-edge analytical methods, scientific coastal exploration is well-advanced in understanding this critical problem.

QUT scientists have clear vision of environmental changes in the coral, scanning 40 hectares of Ningaloo Reef, the largest existing fringing reef in the world, in only 30 minutes,100 metres above the surface, providing data to retain the health of the reef which hosts numerous marine species.

According to media coverage, lead researcher Associate Professor Felipe Gonzalez said the data would help build a fingerprint of the reef, showing coral, sand, algae and other species.

“If the coral is healthy or unhealthy it will show the difference,” he said.

A normal camera collects data in three colour bands: red, green and blue. This camera collects data in 270 bands which is far more than the human eye can see.

With its compact size and weight, the Hyperspec® sensor suits newer multi-rotor and fixed-wing UAVs, the preferred platform for mounting scientific sensing instruments due to their tactical efficiency.

Coastal Exploration beyond the limits of human vision

Hyperspectral sensors can see well beyond the limits of human vision, which runs to about 700 nanometers (nm). Many research projects demand the ability to see into the infrared ranges, often up to and beyond 2500nm.

With such precise vision, it is possible to detect the early signs of stress and disease on coral, vegetation and crops, with enough time to mitigate the problem. The use of imaging in the infrared ranges optimises scientific learning about coastal exploration, geological deposits and climatology and many other applications.

Sensors might collect literally hundreds of spectral bands per pixel, meaning the amount of useful data is enormous.

Speak to PAS and explore the possibilities of hyperspectral vision for your industry.

Images courtesy of Queensland University of Technology.

Eureka! Portable XRF and Gold Exploration

Eureka!

Modern gold exploration takes advantage of technological advancements including Portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysers.

XRF sampling techniques in gold exploration map the distribution of gold and in particular, the various pathfinder elements associated with gold (silver, copper, zinc, nickel, mercury, arsenic and barium). It’s much easier to find the pathfinder elements than it is to find gold: once found, these elements are signposts helping to determine if gold is nearby.

While geophysical methods can be crucial for gold exploration, geochemical methods, including portable XRF solutions from Thermo Fisher, are the only ways to measure concentrations of gold and other associated elements.

In 1848, the discovery of a gold nugget in northern California sparked the California Gold Rush, the largest mass migration in U.S. history. Today, the idea of finding gold holds the same allure, with some modern-day prospectors in the Mother Lode region of California searching for gold the old-fashioned way, using buckets and classifiers, hog pans and cradles.

XRF a boon for modern gold exploration

A major difference between the prospecting of old and today’s multi-billion dollar industry is the scale: tonnes instead of bits and pieces.

Indeed, thanks to modern techniques like portable XRF and good old hard work, traditional gold workings have again produced significant finds, with discovery of large seams and previously unplumbed deposits.

According to a 2017 article published on abc.net.au, “Exploration for gold continues apace in every state and territory and the projects nearly all have one thing in common — the pioneer fossickers and gold panners who pushed wheelbarrows across the country in the first gold rush were there before them.”

The article cites the example of the Commonwealth Project, located in the gold-rich district around Orange, NSW. Advanced exploration techniques have given formerly forgotten workings like Commonwealth a whole new ‘lease’ on life.

“The gold hits at Commonwealth are part of the Lachlan Fold Belt, a 700 kilometre wide belt of gold and silver-bearing ores that run into Victoria,” the article says.

Two of the five largest gold nuggets in the world come from Australia

Many discoveries of large gold nuggets have been recorded, but few of the nuggets remain, having been melted down into gold bars or gold coins. Bullionstar.com profiles the top five largest ‘named’ gold nuggets still in one piece and on display to the public:

Pepita Canaã, Brazil: The Pepita Canaã gold nugget was found in the Serra Pelada gold mining region of Brazilian state of Pará in 1983. It has a gross weight of 60.82 kgs and contains 52.33 kgs of gold, or 1682 troy ounces of gold. The nugget was purchased by the Banco Central do Brazil in 1984, and is now on display in the Museu de Valores do Banco Central in Brazil.
The Great Triangle, Russia: This gold nugget was found in the Miass area of the Russian Urals mountains in 1842. It has a gross weight of 36.2 kgs and a gold assay of 91%, meaning that it has a fine gold content of 32.94 kgs, or 1059 troy ounces of gold.
Hand of Faith, Australia: This 27.66 kgs gold nugget was found in Kingower, Victoria, Australia in 1980. It is the largest gold nugget ever found using a metal detector and contains 875 troy ounces of gold. The Hand of Faith nugget was purchased by the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is currently on display in the casino lobby.
Normandy Nugget, Australia: This 25.5 kgs (820 ozs) gold nugget was found in 1995 in Kalgoorie, Western Australia. Assay analysis shows the Normandy Nugget to have a gold purity of between 80% and 90%.It was purchased by Normandy Mining, which is now part of Newmont Gold Corporation, and is currently on display at the Perth Mint.
Ironstone’s Crown Jewel, California: This nugget is a single piece of crystalline leaf gold found in California in 1992. The gold was embedded in quartz rock; most of the quartz was removed to reveal a single mass of gold weighing 44 troy pounds (16.4 kgs). The Ironstone nugget is now on display at a heritage museum in Ironstone Vineyards in California.

Adapted from Where to See the World’s Largest Gold Nuggets, 2018, Chris Calam, Sales Manager, Thermo Fisher UK.

Want to find gold? Talk to Portable Analytical Solutions about portable XRF solutions to match your needs.

OUR GOLD INDUSTRY AT A GLANCE

66 operating gold mines across the nation

80,000 people living in gold mining towns or regions

26,000 directly employed in gold mining

Contributed $4.5 billion this financial year

280 tonnes of gold produced in 2016

Australia is the second largest producer after China

Source: Gold Industry Group 2016

Spectral Imaging Transforms Recycling

PAS brings spectral imaging to the growing recycling and waste management industry.

For the recycling industry, legacy ‘RGB’ technologies are unable to pick out the precise spectral characteristics that distinguish similar-looking types of plastic or paper products.

Although hyperspectral imaging sensors have been used for some time within the recycling industry, Headwall’s application-specific approach and a focus on robust, reliable instrumentation means that this technology is continually evolving and keeping page with the rapidly changing recycling landscape across the globe.

Headwall’s hyperspectral sensors collect image data across hundreds of spectral bands with exceptional resolution. The output of this process is a hyperspectral cube comprising all the spatial and spectral data within the field of view. When analyzed, the data leads to efficient, sensible, and profit-generating decisions.

Headwall’s fast-frame-rate Near-Infrared (NIR) Hyperspec® sensors cover the range of 900nm to 1700nm and are perfect for high-speed lines found within the recycling industry.

Compact, rugged design for durability and stability
Very wide field of view
320 spatial bands and 166 spectral bands
Extremely high signal-to-noise

With this technology, the chemical composition of similar-looking materials is clearly distinguishable. Headwall’s Hyperspec III software not only controls sensor operation but integrates seamlessly with downstream robotics to complete the identification and sorting cycle.

Since recycling is a multi-billion-dollar industry, it pays to be precise. And Headwall is able to produce hyperspectral sensor solutions that allow you to achieve real competitive differentiation by extracting more value from your high-speed operation.

Read more about Headwall and NIR Hyperspec® sensors.

Niton XL5 User Video from Acuren

Thermo Fisher Scientific Niton XL5 users are happy users, which makes the team at PAS very happy as well.

Acuren Industrial is a leading provider of non-destructive testing and examination services to industries throughout the US and Canada.

Watch this video to hear Mark Lang, Acuren’s PMI Manager, explain how the XL5 is meeting the demands of this organisation’s critical work in Texas and beyond.

The Niton XL5 is accurate, portable, robust

The XL5 offers amazing versatility, low limits of detection (LODs) and high sample throughput are critical for Australia and New Zealand’s industrial businesses as they seek to remain competitive in pressured markets. The Thermo Fisher Scientific Niton XL5 handheld XRF analyser provides customers with solutions designed to meet their most demanding applications, maximising performance and productivity.