The 1.8-gigapixel Argus imager for surveillance drones is world’s highest definition camera

 

 

Called "the next generation in surveillance," the 1.8-gigapixel Argus is the world's highest definition camera and it just might be spying on you.

In the below clip from the PBS show NOVA, Yiannis Antoniades, director of BAE Systems and one of the creators of Argus, discusses the über-definition camera, saying it combines 368 different sensors into a mosaic imager that captures unprecedented detail for surveillance.

"There's enough resolution to see the people (on the ground) waving their arms, walking around, and what kind of clothes they're wearing," Antoniades says while standing in front of Argus sample footage shot over Quantico, Viginia.

While the video clip -- which is taken from the NOVA episode "Rise of the Drones" -- doesn't show the actual Argus sensor itself because it's classified, the camera is described as capable of capturing a million terabytes of video a day, which is the equivalent of 5,000 hours of high definition footage.

The Argus is also known as a Wide Area Persistent Stare, and is like having up to 100 Predator drones spy on an area the size of a medium sized city at once. Unlike a Predator, which has a camera that limits the field of view, Argus melds together its video from each of its 368 imaging chips, creating a panoramic perspective with incredible resolution.

(Via Reddit)