System built at NUWC wins technology award

NEWPORT – The Blue Rose Fiber Optic Perimeter Security and Detection System, developed at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport, has won the 2007 award for excellence in technology transfer sponsored by the Federal Laboratory Consortium.
The award recognizes laboratory employees for their work in transferring technology federally developed for commercial use. This is the fifth win in this program for NUWC Division Newport since 2001.
The Blue Rose security system detects and localizes the sounds of intruders running, walking or driving a vehicle on a perimeter or border via an in-ground fiber-optic sensor array. The benefits of the system include its low cost, its compatibility with other detection systems and its inherent covertness.
The Blue Rose has been patented for commercial use at airports, power plants, refineries and international borders.
The team that worked on the project at NUWC includes Dr. Fletcher Blackmon, project engineer; Roger Howlett, software engineer; Gerard Poirer, engineer; and James Pollock, project manager.