We’ve all thought about it. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a camera permanently pointed toward the sky, constantly recording and looking for UFO/UAPs? Let’s take it a step further. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a worldwide network of skyward-pointed devices, scouring the sky for UFOs, collecting, analyzing, and storing data and sharing it in a publicly accessible database of sightings? That’s precisely what Sky Hub intends to achieve – and we think they’ve got a really good chance of pulling this off.
The Sky Hub project aims to coordinate a global network of smart sensor technologies that will upload unusual phenomena spotted in the sky to a unified (cloud-based) database. Data is then processed by artificial intelligence (AI) software to tease out anomalies that look like UFO/UAP activity.
Project chair Christopher Cogswell told Space.com that the ultimate goal was to host a worldwide digital UFO database that anyone can access under a Creative Commons License using Sky Hub’s open-source software.
To run a Sky Hub tracker station takes a bit of tech-knowhow but Sky Hub provides detailed instructions that should help even those with limited experience. Each station requires hardware, an enclosure, and free Sky Hub software. You purchase the hardware, put it together, stuff it in an enclosure, and install the Sky Hub AI software. Then connect to the Sky Hub network and start looking for UFOs!
The required hardware includes a cheap Jetson Nano, Jetson Xavier NX, or Jetson Xavier AGX processor (the brains of the system). The Nano allows for a single camera while the Xavier models allow for multiple cameras. Other hardware requirements include an Adafruit GPS module (easily found online), a power supply unit, a fisheye camera, NVMe drive, USB3 storage, and other misc. electronic components (e.g., barrel jacks, breakout board, etc.).
Other than the fisheye camera, the components are rather cheap. The low-end Sky Hub tracker can be built for a total of about $700 and that includes $400 for the fisheye camera (a quality camera is required for good results). The components are then assembled and placed in a Sky Hub enclosure like the one shown in the picture above.
Since the electronic components are modular, the assembly of the Sky Hub tracker is pretty simple. For instance, the Adafruit GPS, USB3 storage, and NVMe driver plug directly into the Jetson processor. No soldering or anything like that. The AI software is provided by Sky Hub and installed onto the Jetson device.
Each person’s tracker device is connected to the Sky Hub network. Tracker sensors in the device (i.e. Radio Frequency monitors, video feeds, magnetometers) gather data. The Jetson processor uses AI to analyze the gathered data and compare it to the local background information to determine when anomalies occur. When an anomaly is found, it is sent to the Sky Hub Cloud where it is stored and made open to the public for research purposes.
The project team consists of a wide variety of specialists and engineers including software developers, optics experts, data scientists, sound engineers, astronomers, graphics designers, etc. Volunteers are welcome to join the project.
Head over to skyhub.org for more information. We think this project is really going to take off!
