Case Studies

ShotSpotter

Wireless Gunshot Detection System

The Challenge

Fighting forces since the invention of modern guns have been at a disadvantage in locating a sniper or shooter on the battle field. The Shotspotter Company, Mountainview, CA wanted to develop a solider-worn enclosure for its wireless gunshot detection system. The system relies on a distributed array of listening devices to identify the precise location of a gunshot. The technology has war-time and domestic applications.

Shotspotter came to INERGI with a black-box of wires and chips needing a design, engineering and prototyping for the shotspotter device enclosure to be soldier worn in a field of battle or in urban locations.

Designing a wearable computer system for any environment is always a challenge. The specific requirements of the modern soldier on the battlefield are even more rigorous. Some of INERGI's previous wearable computer system work gave the INERGI Industrial Design and Engineering team the right foundation of experience for the project ahead.

Left: Enclosure Rendering  -  Right: ShotSpotter worn on soldier's back

The Process

INERGI's Industrial Design and Engineering group developed design concepts that addressed all of the design criteria. The system had to be a small form factor, wearable, and blend into the camouflage worn by the fighters. The wireless computing system was also designed to avoid interference from other antennas. While the enclosures were being engineered and analyzed the system board were concurrently being miniaturized to help hit the enclosure size target.

When the industrial design and engineering work was completed INERGI developed the rapid prototyped parts for empirical testing and verification against the analysis data. Signal interference issues drove the engineering and design team to redesign the system immediately on the heels of the first test. The redesigned parts were quickly prototyped using INERGI's unique rapid prototyping systems. These field test units were then made in quantity (within 7 days) so the whole distributed array system performance could be evaluated during field testing. Twenty five sets were made assembled and deployed.

The 25 Shotspotter units were field tested not in a large grassy area outside of town but in one of the active theatres of war.

The Results

The soldier worn prototypes almost immediately performed beyond expectation pinpointing the location of snipers around that undisclosed location. Today the enclosure engineering and design is paying off for our client. Shotspotter and its related system components are being used for military and law enforcement purposes around the world. The ruggedized enclosure stands up to the elements and harsh environment battlefield conditions without fail.

ALSO SEE OTHER CASE STUDIES:
Neural Robotics Corporation  ::  Quantum3D

TOP