Automatic target detection utilizing an Edge IR vision transformer (EIR-ViT)

The detection and recognition of targets within imagery and video analysis is vital for military and commercial applications. The development of infrared sensor devices for tactical aviation systems imagery has increased the performance of target detection. Due to the advancements of infrared sensors capabilities, their use for field operations such as visual operations (visops) or reconnaissance missions that take place in a variety of operational environments have become paramount. Many techniques implemented stretch back to 1970, but were limited due to computational power. The AI industry has recently been able to bridge the gap between traditional signal processing tools and machine learning. Current state of the art target detection and recognition algorithms are too bloated to be applied for on ground or aerial mission reconnaissance. Therefore, this paper proposes Edge IR Vision Transformer (EIR-ViT), a novel algorithm for automatic target detection utilizing infrared images that is lightweight and operates on the edge for easier deployability.