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The roots of
Navtech's systems lie in Philip Avery's involvement with millimetre
wave radar which dates back to 1992. Then, systems were originally
developed as navigation sensors for container handling vehicles
in stevedoring applications. This technology was used in 1993 to
successfully demonstrate the first automated port vehicle to use
millimetre wave radar.
In 1996 Dr. Stephen Clark started further research into the uses
of millimetre wave radar at the Australian centre for Field Robotics
in Sydney. Philip Avery joined him there in 1997 and together they
worked at improving the reliability and repeatability of the hardware,
turning a working prototype into a reliable industrial sensor. In
addition they researched the application of the radar to other Industrial
automation problems.
In 1999 Navtech Electronics was formed in the UK. The first clients
were end users and OEM manufacturers of outdoor, automated industrial
machinery in the mining and stevedoring industries. These clients
were running vehicle automation programs that relied on robust sensing
technology. So called field robotics.
Navtech's client base has now expanded, putting state of the art
Navtech Radar technology into airports, container ports, vehicle
obstacle detection and surveillance markets. All of these require
a reliable sensor, designed to operate all year round in all climatic
conditions.
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