Quantum Computing Inc. Federal Subsidiary, QI Solutions, Demonstrates Unprecedented Capability to Detect Landmines Up to 2.5 Feet Below Dense Underground Surface
Successful Field Test Launches Quantum Computing Inc.'s Quantum Sensing Technology into Fight Against Explosive Remnants of War
LEESBURG, Va., Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- QI Solutions (QIS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quantum Computing Inc. ("QCi" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: QUBT), recently conducted a field validation of its Quantum Photonic Detection and Ranging Variant 3 (VX3) unexploded ordnance detection sensor at Oklahoma State University's Center for Fire and Explosives, Forensic Investigation, Training and Research (CENFEX) range in Pawnee, Oklahoma.
The validation of Quantum Photonic Detection and Ranging (QpDAR) VX3 – conducted from September 11-14, 2023, in a field environment, mimicking real-world conditions – demonstrated, the unprecedented ability of the VX3 sensor to harness Quantum Single Photon Detection (QSPD) to detect landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) from surface level to depths up to 30-inches.
VX3 is a powerful quantum sensing application that uses high speed, low power optical pulses at an eye-safe wavelength to illuminate a remote target and measure the few returning photons by projecting them to a single quantum mode. This approach provides two benefits to selective detection. First, the projection greatly reduces the ambient noise and provides robust operation in daytime, complex environments. Second, this methodology leads to extremely sensitive measurement of the mechanical and chemical states of targets at distance, such as vibration on a nanometer scale. In this propriate technique, single photon counting allows the detection of very weak signals, and the extreme sensing sensitivity is derived from the innovative single-mode projection. Compared with conventional laser vibrometers, VX3 has significant practical advantages in size, weight, power, and cost, thanks to its non-interferometry and all-fiber design, and in working distance and penetration depth, due to the innovation of projective photon detection.
Landmines are a pervasive and lasting legacy of war that kill thousands of innocent civilians every year. Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in clearing existing minefields using heroic people as "human detectors" who risk their lives to accomplish their mission. According to United Nations News, currently there are approximately 70 countries and territories contaminated by roughly 110 million landmines. Landmines can lie dormant for years or even decades until they are triggered. Landmines kill and maim up to 1,000 to 2,000 people every month, most of whom are civilians and children. In many of the most affected areas of the world, where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, landmines were planted in fields, forests, around wells, water sources and hydroelectric installations, making the farmland unusable or usable only at great risk. It is estimated that Afghanistan and Cambodia could double their agricultural production if landmines were eliminated. It has been forecasted that it will take approximately 1,100 years to clear all the world's current active landmines.
To enable the QpDAR mine detection validation, QIS formed a cross-functional team comprised of technical and tactical leaders, as well as experts from university and a non-governmental organization. To find a suitable location to test VX3, QIS partnered with Jasper Baur, co-founder of the Demining Research Community, and Dr. John Frucci, Program Director at Oklahoma State University's Global Consortium for Explosive Hazard Mitigation. Together, those two organizations have seeded a comprehensive field with 143 diverse items including landmines, submunitions, UXO, and IEDs. QIS's technical team then turned to Dr. Markus Nemitz, Assistant Professor of Robotics Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Robotics Department, to provide a best-in-class integration solution. This relationship solidified a National Science Foundation Industry University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) and Robots and Sensors for Human Well-being (ROSE-HUB) agreement between QIS and WPI.
Dr. Nemitz commented, "My team and I have had the distinct privilege of collaborating on this project to generate a durable, user-friendly system that eventually can be deployed to parts of the world in need of landmine detection, including Ukraine. I am proud of and optimistic about the potential for technology developed at WPI to help with faster and safer removal of unexploded ordnance and landmines. This partnership aimed to synergize advanced robotics with cutting-edge quantum sensing capabilities, focusing on applications in hazardous environments. Our efforts yielded an effective robotic system that leverages quantum sensing for this critical, life-saving endeavor. This partnership provides another example of how WPI's project-based learning helps provide technological solutions to real-world problems."
James Gabeler, President of Qi Solutions, added, "This project is our first example of a successful collaboration that resulted from the industry-university partnership within WPI's NSF-funded I/UCRC and ROSE-HUB. The results, as predicted, were astonishing."
On the validation, Mr. Gabeler stated, "Validation of the QpDAR mine detection has quickly gained significant interest globally for its potential application in humanitarian mine clearance and EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) operations. NATO, Department of State humanitarian programs, and multiple countries in Europe and South East Asia have commenced engagements to bring this technology to the field immediately. We anticipate this validation marks the first of many solutions we will bring to market as a viable product ready to solve real problems, today."
Robert Liscouski, CEO of Quantum Computing Inc., commented on the extraordinary effort, "Our technical team was able to take our proprietary technology from lab to field test in a matter of weeks, demonstrating a strong commitment and sense of urgency at QCi to apply vital technology to solve mission critical real-world problems. This validation introduces the most advanced quantum sensor technologies into the fight against deadly munitions left over from conflicts across the globe."
For additional information on the company's suite of solutions, please visit our website or contact our team directly.
About Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi)
Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) (Nasdaq: QUBT) is an innovative, quantum optics and nanophotonics technology company on a mission to accelerate the value of quantum computing for real-world business solutions, delivering the future of quantum computing, today. The company provides accessible and affordable solutions with real-world industrial applications, using nanophotonic-based quantum entropy that can be used anywhere and with little to no training, operates at normal room temperatures, low power and is not burdened with unique environmental requirements. QCi is competitively advantaged delivering its quantum solutions at greater speed, accuracy, and security at less cost. QCi's core nanophotonic-based technology is applicable to both quantum computing as well as quantum intelligence, cybersecurity, sensing and imaging solutions, providing QCi with a unique position in the marketplace. QCi's core entropy computing capability, the Dirac series, delivers solutions for both binary and integer-based optimization problems using over 11,000 qubits for binary problems and over 1000 (n=64) qubits for integer-based problems, each of which are the highest number of variables and problem size available in quantum computing today. Using the Company's core quantum methodologies, QCi has developed specific quantum applications for AI, cybersecurity and remote sensing, including its Reservoir Photonic Computer series (intelligence), reprogrammable and non-repeatable Quantum Random Number Generator (cybersecurity) and LiDAR and Vibrometer (sensing) products. For more information about QCi, visit www.quantumcomputinginc.com.
About QI Solutions, Inc. (QIS)
QI Solutions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quantum Computing Inc., is a supplier of quantum technology solutions and services to the government and defense industries. With a team of qualified and cleared staff, QIS delivers a range of solutions from entropy quantum computing to quantum communications and sensing, backed by expertise in logistics, manufacturing, R&D and training. The company is exclusively focused on delivering tailored solutions for partners in various government departments and agencies.
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