GROUP ONE

ANIRUDH RAWAT | BRYANT DONATO | ALI SULTAN | BASIL DIXON

CLOUD BASED LASER MICROPHONE

• Problem Statement

• Objective

• Requirements

• Design Breakdown

• Technology Involved

• Timeline & Status

OUTLINE

• Remote audio surveillance is the lynchpin of intelligence gathering for law enforcement, government use, etc.

• Covert surveillance should be robust and not put the operators at risk for detection

• A chain of custody for evidence gathered can make or break a court case, so evidence preservation and logging is a prime concern.

• A need exists for an inexpensive, robust, and modular audio surveillance system that can record audio data without putting the operator at risk, and can maintain data integrity once audio is captured.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

CURRENT SOLUTIONS• Are large, expensive, and cumbersome – expect to pay upwards of $1000

• Require extensive set-up, and are not very robust

• Do not provide an intuitive signal processing or data management solution for long term use.

• To provide a unique and innovative alternative to current laser audio surveillance devices that is inexpensive, easy to deploy and maintain, less risky for the operator, and robust. Our system can record audio using a reflected laser by measuring phase changes due to vibrations in the air caused by sounds.

• Three Fundamental Design Principles:• Covert: very little time required to set-up and deploy laser microphone

• Robust: very easy to repair, modular design that requires little to no maintenance or technical knowledge

• Cost Effective: System should meet or beat current market offerings by at least 25%

OBJECTIVE

OBJECTIVE TREECBLM

HARDWARE PLATFORM

FIRE LASER AND CAPTURE REFLECTION

EXTRACT AUDIO INFORMATION

FILTER AND CLEAN SIGNAL BY REMOVING AMBIENT

NOISE

ENCODE AUDIO DATA IN .MP3 OR .WAV

ASSIGN TIMESTAMP INFORMATION

TRANSMIT DATA TO SOFTWARE PLATFORM

SOFTWARE PLATFORM

RUN USER SPECIFIED OS/DATABASE

REQUIRE AUTHENTICATION

STORE DATA IN LOGICAL ORDER

ALLOW ONLINE STREAMING AND

DOWNLOAD

STORE VARIOUS SIGNAL PROCESSING /AUDIO

ALGORITHMS

• The system should be able to operate at a test distance of 10+ yards, with the ideal goal of 50+ yards.

• The system should be able to filter and amplify captured audio signals, and encode them in a easy to use format i.e. MP3

• The system should be able to store and transmit audio data securely to a remote database with appropriate timestamp data.

• The system design should be modular, with easy to replace “modules” that require little to no setup time

• The system should be able to utilize traditional AC power, or operate off a battery pack for 3+ hours

• The system should be cost effective!

PRELIMINARY REQUIREMENTS

• The system must be modular

• The system must be cost effective

• The system should be able to run off battery power for more than an hour

• The system should be secure

• The system should be packaged neatly

• The system should include documentation on use

• The system should clearly indicate acceptable use of the product

• The system should clearly inform the user of legal and health risks

• The software platform should allow multiple user accounts

MARKETING REQUIREMENTS

• The system will use secure protocols to transmit data

• The system will require strong passwords to access database

• The system should have a battery pack with commonly available cells (AA, AAA etc.)

• The system should be able to operate at a distance of greater than 10 yards

• The system should be able to run for more than 1 hour on battery pack

• The system should be able to accommodate traditional AC power from an outlet

• The system should be able to account for ambient noise and vibrations, and filter accordingly

• The system must be able to utilize lasers of different wavelengths

• There should be a way to disconnect from the software platform, and use headphones to listen to audio

• The system should be completely modular.

ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS

ARCHITECHTURE – CLASS DIAGRAM

DESIGN BREAKDOWN | HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

Two Distinct Design

PlatformsHardware Platform

Laser Unit Signal Processing

Computer Power Supply

Software Platform

Cloud Database

Android Application

Web Interface

Secure Protocols

Timeline Table Phase 1 2013 Phase 2+

2013-14

Hardware Set up Laser Tune Laser

Software Set up Cloud Secure Database

Integration N/A Testing

- Construct Hardware Platform first, and initiate testing. This will be straightforward, and will NOT require a lot of time.

- Construct Software platform second, and initiate testing. This will be the most complex phase, and will require a lot of time.

- Leave as much time as possible for integration, testing, as tuning; this is because we are attempting to integrate many different kinds of technologies.

PROJECT PLAN - TIMELINE AND STATUS

PROJECT PLAN – GAANT CHART

Develop Software Platform

Perform Hardware Testing

Develop Filtering Algorithms/Hardware

Integrate Platforms

Build Hardware Platform

Test Intergated Package

Design Packaging

Develop Procurement List

1/26/2013 4/16/2013 7/5/2013 9/23/2013 12/12/2013 3/2/2014

Gaant Chart - Balanced Estimate

Start Date Completed Remaining

• Set up cloud storage server with proper services• SSH

• Apache

• Web hosting

• Secure connection protocols

• Document all testing results thoroughly

• Ensure that a secure connection can be established to the server

• Ensure that the signal processing unit can establish a connection to the server

• Attempt and verify successful file transfers

• Set up laser unit, and fire at reflective surface

• Ensure that the reflection is easy to see and capture

• Set up headphones, and connect to basic amplification section of signal processing unit, attempt to listen to audio

• Determine the maximum distance at which laser signal is still clean enough to process

• Determine the effects of environmental conditions

• a. Ambient light

• b. Ambient noise

• c. Vibrations on target surface

• d. Vibrations on resting surface

• e. Document all testing results thoroughly

PROJECT PLAN – TESTING PHASE 1

HARDWARE SOFTWARE

• 5 mW Laser (interchangeable)

• Tripod

• Phototransistor/Photodiode panel

• Raspberry Pi

• Gain/Filter IC packages

• Power Supply

• ~$150-$200 very liberal estimate

TECHNOLOGY

• Amazon Cloud

• Database (MySQL / POSGRES)

• Webserver (APACHE2)

• OS: Windows Server or Ubuntu Linux

• Simple, 2-instance network

• ~$0 (based on bandwidth)

HARDWARE SOFTWARE

PRODUCT PROCUREMENTAll of our software has already been acquired, while our hardware will be acquired by July 2013 from online retailers such as Amazon and Newegg. We are currently distributing the costs amongst design team members using personal funds.

REMAINING HARDWARE

- Photodiodes

- Additional Lasers

- Rasberry Pi / CubieBoard PC

- Decoders

- Batteries

- Power Supply

- Integrated Circuit Packages and Operational Amplifiers

HARDWARE PLATFORM PROTOTYPE

FORSEEN CHALLENGES

- Ambient noise – can introduce distortion in our captured signal- Solution: aggressive noise filtering using multiple algorithms

- Ambient light – can also introduce distortion in our captured signal by confusing our diode panel, and rasing/lowering voltage levels- Solution: aggressive noise filtering

- Vibrations on surface which laser microphone is mounted- Solution: create a steady mounting base

LEGAL ISSUES- The construction, possession, and sale of surveillance devices is tightly

regulated by Federal, State, and Local laws

- Many states like West Virginia criminalize possession of surveillance devices unless they are for government/law enforcement use – WV Code, 61-1D-4 (Wiretapping & Electronic Surveillance Act).

- Many states have various wiretapping laws. For example, West Virginia requires that at least one person in a conversation must agree to a wiretap, whereas in nearby Maryland, all parties must agree

- We must limit our sales to government agencies to abide by the law, and inform the end user of legal issues arising from surveillance

- We must inform the end users thoroughly of the legal use of our product

• Our system uses the maximum power laser allowed by Federal Law – A class IIIb 5mW laser. Anything higher may be illegal according to the American National Safety Institute (ANSI)

• Class IV – V lasers cannot be sold over the counter, and must be justified for medical/research purposes only.

• Beam density may not exceed 2.5 mW/square centimeter without a warning label that clearly states “Danger.”

• In many jurisdictions, shining a laser in public is illegal, especially when fired at airplanes, buses, etc.

• It is the design team’s responsibility to carefully restrict the distribution of our device, and thoroughly inform the end user that the responsibility to abide by all laws rests with them. This is to protect us from possible legal action.

LEGAL ISSUES CONTINUED

• According to ANZI standards, our laser can cause severe damage to an individual’s eyes if they are directly exposed to the retinas via an optical device (ANSI Z136.1) for greater than two minutes.

• It is our responsibility to warn the end user of the potential health hazards, and provide plenty of warning labels and documentation to avoid legal action against the design team

• Recommendations: do not look directly into the laser aperture. Eye protection is not necessary, but recommended.

MEDICAL ISSUES

• A neatly packaged, modular laser microphone and diode capture panel with an easily removable power supply, computer, tripod, and laser.

• The ability to record audio from a distance of at least 10 yards, in light or dark, and in quiet and noisy environments

• The ability to access and stream audio from a database using a mobile device and computer.

• Total cost under $500

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

• For the foreseeable future, surveillance will continue to be the underpinning of effective intelligence gathering. This intelligence gathering technique can be for almost any reason imaginable, and likewise the individuals behind this can harbor an infinite number of motives. As society moves into a technologically demanding world, electronic surveillance will continue to be on the rise. What the design team proposes is a tiny slice of this rapidly changing field of electronic surveillance. Utilizing key principles in physics and electrical engineering, the team’s design is set apart from others in the field by its approachable cost, modular design, and easy to use interface.

CONCLUSION

QUESTIONS?