Fortifying Borders: Weathering the Storm

In the high-stakes game of border protection, fog and harsh weather become a smuggler’s best friend, creating critical blind spots that are easily exploited. But now, ThexoVision’s SightBooster, a real-time software solution, is giving border guards the clear vision they need to stay one step ahead and keep our borders secure.

Why is fog a critical risk and challenge for border security?

Smugglers take advantage of poor visibility – When the fog rolls in, smugglers see an opportunity. They know surveillance is weakest in these conditions, making it easier to move drugs and people undetected.

Limited detection performance and range – Security cameras become less effective in foggy conditions, reducing their range and making it harder for border guards to spot potential threats.

Delayed reaction time – By the time officials detect an intrusion, it’s often too late to react and prevent border violations.

Thermal cameras have limitations – While thermal cameras can help, they don’t always provide the level of detail needed to identify vehicles, faces, or contraband, making it difficult to take appropriate action.

SightBooster: from poor visibility to clear detection

SightBooster, developed by ThexoVision, is a real-time software solution that enhances surveillance images in low-visibility conditions – and the best part? It doesn’t require expensive hardware upgrades.

• Instantly improves camera image clarity, allowing officers to see clearly even in the thickest fog.
• Identifies threats from long distances, enabling Border Patrol to spot and track smugglers from 1 km or more, closing security gaps.
• Seamlessly integrates with existing cameras, working with CCTV, thermal, PTZ, and drone cameras to enhance visibility.
• Faster response time allows security teams to act before border intruders cross the line.

Proven success: SightBooster in action

Kazakhstan field trial – In real-world tests with our partner TNS Service, SightBooster processed live footage (H.264, 20 Mbps bitrate) from a standard PTZ security camera monitoring a 1 km target in dense fog. The original footage was almost unusable, but the video enhanced with SightBooster showed remarkable clarity of detail, enabling effective surveillance.

Border patrol vehicles in the UK – SightBooster is integrated into Presidian Smart Mobile Monitoring Stations developed by DJ Byers Security Solutions (UK). These mobile units improve real-time situational awareness for border patrol officers, ensuring that officers are never blinded by fog, heavy rain or low light conditions.

The future of border security

As pressure mounts on border security forces, technology must evolve to stay ahead of smugglers and criminals. SightBooster offers a cost-effective, high-performance solution that gives security teams the visibility they need, precisely when they need it most.

“Fog and bad weather don’t stop smugglers, so border security can’t afford to be blind,” said Milan Tresch, CEO of ThexoVision. “SightBooster gives officers the clear vision they need to stay one step ahead and keep borders secure.”

SightBooster – a versatile software technology for various conditions

ThexoVision’s proprietary real-time video enhancement software technology is capable of revealing scene objects under constrained visibility conditions in camera-based systems. This capability not only works in fog, but also aids visual detection and identification in the presence of a wide variety of obscurants, such as haze, smog, smoke, dust, rain, or snow. In addition, it can also cope with use cases in night vision and underwater scenarios of low visibility.

“Our technology that is primarily available as a software development kit (SDK) can be incorporated into server- and desktop-based configurations, as well as into small-sized, embedded solutions for mobile applications. The SDK has been designed to allow for a streamlined integration into vastly differing products, systems,” explains Ramon Hegedus, CTO of ThexoVision.

AI or not to AI?

While artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s technologies, ThexoVision believes in a balanced approach to its application. The core of SightBooster software technology avoids using AI in producing the clarified version of the input stream. The reason? When dealing with surveillance or border security, the company doesn’t want to introduce non-existing objects or details into the processed image. Nevertheless, when need be, SightBooster can be efficiently combined with other AI-based methods, like object detection.

Company background

Founded in 2019, ThexoVision evolved from a post-processing software initiative towards fulfilling the promise of real-time processing capabilities. Recognizing its potential for widespread industrial applications, the team took a hands-on approach to development, establishing a four-camera test system at Budapest airport’s control tower. This rigorous testing validated the technology and significantly boosted its market credibility.

The company represents a fusion of two generations of expertise among its six owners. The senior partners include the project’s original visionary and co-founder who continues to drive market development and funding, a former chief commando officer who later became a successful international trader of military technologies, and an ex-head of a police counter-narcotics unit, today leading a company that develops sensitive military and civilian electronics solutions. The younger generation features the company’s CEO and two exceptional software developers: one of them a specialist in computer vision and graphics, while the other, also co-founder and CTO, an expert in optical sciences and imaging. Their joint innovative efforts put ThexoVision ahead of competitors.

See SightBooster software in action at www.thexovision.com

For partnership opportunities, contact tresch@thexovision.com