The Littoral Airborne Sensor/Hyperspectral (LASH) imaging system developed by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
combines optical imaging hardware, navigation and stabilization, and advanced image processing and algorithms to provide real-time submarine target detection,
classification, and identification in
littoral
The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...
waters. Operating in visible and near
infrared
Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
spectrum
A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...
(390 to 710 nm), LASH collects hyperspectral imagery using many spectral channels (
color
Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...
s) to exploit subtle color features associated with targets of interest. Developed as a pod-mounted system, LASH can be operated from a
P-3C Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. It is based on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner by Lockheed; it is ea ...
,
SH-60B Seahawk
The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...
, or other platforms in support of anti-
submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
warfare, mine detection, passive bathymetry, near-shore mapping, and land-based detection, discrimination and targeting.
Other applications
LASH technology might have medical applications. Researchers are investigating the camera's ability to detect
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
cells by comparing their minute light variations with surrounding tissue. Its ability to detect
cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix or in any layer of the wall of the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later sympt ...
has been studied. If successful, it could perform a painless virtual
biopsy
A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, an interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiology, interventional cardiologist. The process involves the extraction of sampling (medicine), sample ...
and provide instantaneous results.
[Scott, P. (2004). LASH Out. Scientific American, 290(2), 24.]
References
* summary description taken fro
an unclassified budget justification sheetan
a vendor's description published by the USN both in the public domain
* http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Aug/19/ln/ln23a.html
Equipment of the United States Navy
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