A sensor system that travels a monorail attached to a perimeter fence for surveillance has been introduced by Magal Security Systems Ltd.

The Israeli company says RoboGuard is powered by a rechargeable battery. In routine patrol mode, it travels autonomously along the monorail at a speed of about 4 miles per hour while searching for anomalies such as fence holes or nearby suspicious objects.

In its fast response mode, the robot hones in on a suspected intrusion.

The system comes in a variety of configurations which include a laser scanner that acts as a short-range 3D light radar for perimeter inspection, a fixed camera with IR illuminator for short-range perimeter surveillance and a camera with IR illuminator for medium-range surveillance and tracking.

"Magal S3 is proud to pioneer the introduction of automation into the perimeter security market," said Eitan Livneh, president and chief executive officer of Magal S3. "Our challenge was to deliver an affordable solution which can accomplish two main tasks: that of routine perimeter integrity inspection, which is typically undertaken by guards a few times each day, and the uncompromising requirement to respond promptly to any and every intrusion alert -- be it a nuisance alert or real security event."

"Our solution is ideal for remotely monitored unmanned sites, where a timely first response by manned guards would be impractical or expensive. It can also cost-effectively augment first responders on larger critical sites like airports, seaports, military bases and prisons, where there may be insufficient resources to provide a timely response."

The technology will be highlighted by Magal at the ASIS USA advanced security exhibition in Atlanta, Ga., later this month.