Breath sensors reveal the enemy behind a wall.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: TECHWIRE

* The art of hiding may become harder to master.

From California comes a sensor that could locate the enemy through a wall or find a comrade trapped under the rubble of a building.

Newport Beach-based TiaLinx Inc. has manufactured a device that could be used on the battlefield, after an earthquake, along the border or even underground. The Eagle5-N is a lightweight sensor that can detect and monitor breathing and movement behind walls. It can be carried by hand or mounted on a tripod or robot.

The company has designed similar technology before. With the more powerful Eagle5-N, though, "very, very minute motions can be detected," founder and CEO Fred Mohamadi said.

In addition to breath detection, it can monitor a heartbeat and, by extension, the stress level of a person. It also can analyze the movement of a person's rib cage. The Eagle5-N remotely uplinks the data it collects to a monitoring station.

While the device was designed to detect humans behind walls, it also makes sense for rescue...