RemoteReality enters the mainstream

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.-RemoteReality, which has traditionally sold its wares to government agencies, is now entering the mainstream security market. Next month, the company will debut its video surveillance products, which were originally designed for the U.S. military to survey battlefields. One product, an omni-directional digital imaging system, combines 360-degree cameras and motion detection and tracking software. The company also offers a 270-degree camera. "We've always been a commercially oriented company," said Jeb Hurley, president and chief executive officer of RemoteReality. Offering RemoteReality's products to installers and integrators, he said, is a natural next step. Mike Zwolinski, vice president of commercial business development, said RemoteReality is applying still camera technology to 360-degree cameras, making it possible to get a live tour of a location without the camera ever having to rotate. "The technology is now at a maturity level where you can bring this interactivity of the imagery to the security world," said Zwolinski. The benefit, he said is that there are no moving parts. "If there's nothing moving with you and the camera's not tracking you you don't know you're on camera," he said. If hooked up to a recorder, the system will also record in a 360-degree mode, making it possible for the viewer to see all angles of a site even though it's recorded. Along with making its products available to integrators, RemoteReality intends to offer it to manufacturers to integrate it into their systems. Hurley said several manufacturers are already taking a look at a possible OEM relationship. Within two years, Hurley expects the commercial security market will represent 80 percent of the company's business. "Our focus is not one of being a government contractor," he said. "We just happened to have unique technology."