Special Report: Frenel Imaging readies first polarimetric camera integration for unmanned systems

Frenel Imaging's Mantis GP polarimetric-enabled thermal camera and imagery system. (Frenel Imaging)

Israeli startup Frenel Imaging is getting ready to launch its first polarimetric cameras with image processing for unmanned systems by the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, the company has told Janes.

Unlike conventional thermal imaging, which solely gauges thermal radiation intensity, polarimetric thermal imaging leverages the detection of polarised light to make objects with high background noise more visible.

Polarimetric cameras use polarisation filters to gauge the polarisation state of an object's emitted thermal radiation. This adds an extra layer of data to a thermal video feed or image, which helps in identifying material properties, particularly as temperature-based information alone is often inadequate for accurate detection, especially at extended ranges.

Polarimetric cameras excel at distinguishing between various object types, such as differentiating manmade materials such as metal landmines or vehicles, fabric on otherwise camouflaged uniforms from surrounding undergrowth, or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from birds.

Polarimetric cameras can also penetrate smoke, fog, and low-visibility conditions.

Slow maturation

“The technology has been circulating around the defence industry for around a decade without many results,” Arik Nir, CEO of Frenel Imaging, told Janes on 29 April. “The first reason it didn't mature was because of difficulties in building the unique filters and pixel-based colourisers needed inside polarimetric cameras. The second is that the data that emerged from these cameras is a nightmare. You have to deal with so many different variables to get a useable image; otherwise the picture is unreadable. It took us two years of solid work to get that right, but with a bit of luck, we did it and we are now trying to mature that technology.”