The Office of Naval Research sponsored the development of software based on human brain processes that "recognize, identify, and locate the source of suspicious noises." The software powers the Smart Sensor Enabled Neural Threat Recognition and Identification (SENTRI) system sold by an Illinois company called Safety Dynamics. (More on SENTRI here.) From the Office of Naval Research press release:
The sound identification could be coupled with chemical or optical sensors, so that if exhaust fumes are detected at the same time as a weapons-like "bang," the system would identify a truck backfiring rather than a weapon discharging. The Chicago and Los Angeles County police departments are testing the system to help fight crime in areas that are low on beat officers. Safety Dynamics received a Small Business Innovation Research Phase I award from the Navy in 2004 and is working on adapting its system for a lightweight mobile version that could be hand carried into the field.
Ironically, the press release, issued by the US military, has the headline "Hey, now, what's that sound," a misquoted lyric from a classic anti-war song.
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