Interviewee: Stig Nyvold, CEO at Squarehead Technology

Role in PROTEAS project: PROTEAS Project Partner

Question: Please describe in a few words your position, background and role in the PROTEAS project.

Stig Nyvold: As the CEO of Squarehead Technology, my role in the PROTEAS project involves guiding our team’s contributions, ensuring our alignment with the updated security landscape and new capabilities, and fostering collaboration with other partners.

Squarehead is one of the market leaders in acoustic technology, particularly in the security sector. During the last decade we have established ourselves as a trusted supplier of acoustic drone detection and classification. By integrating our passive drone detection system, Discovair, with other detection and classification technologies, we contribute with enhanced situational awareness and strengthened perimeter security in the PROTEAS project.

Question: Please describe in a few words the role of your entity in the PROTEAS project and the business goals you aim to achieve through the participation.

Stig Nyvold: Squarehead Technology plays a key role in the development and integration of acoustic situational awareness systems within the PROTEAS framework. Specifically, we are tasked with designing and testing acoustic detection and classification systems for perimeter security. These systems are designed to operate seamlessly in fixed, semi-mobile, and mobile configurations, including integration with unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).

Our business goals through this participation include expanding the application of our acoustic technology into new areas of defense and security domains. Additionally, we are focused on strengthening our position as a leader in acoustic intelligence solutions for multi-domain operations, as well as demonstrating the versatility and effectiveness of our passive systems to open new markets and partnerships in the defense sector and for critical infrastructure protection.

Question: Please describe in a few words the added-value presented by the envisaged PROTEAS outcomes and your view on their possible future adoption.

Stig Nyvold: The PROTEAS project brings significant added value to building a stronger Europe, by combining cutting-edge technologies into a unified platform for special operations forces (SOF). In addition, the current war in Ukraine has shown us the need for passive detection technologies resistant to traditional jamming. By integrating acoustics with traditional detection and classification methods in a multi-domain Command and Control (C2) system, PROTEAS will be able to offer a transformative edge in perimeter security and intelligence gathering, enhancing situational awareness and operational efficiency for the EU Defense Industry.

In terms of future adoption, I see potential for these solutions to be utilized in tactical field operations where rapid and accurate situational awareness is critical. They also have applications in critical infrastructure protection, addressing both ground and aerial threats. Additionally, they can support collaborative defense systems that require seamless integration of unmanned assets and centralized command structures. Finally, they are well-suited for complex environments where distributed sensors are necessary.

The PROTEAS outcomes will hopefully not only enhance security capabilities but also set a precedent for modular, scalable, and user-focused technology development in defense and security sectors. We are excited to see these advancements adopted widely in both military and civilian applications, and we look forward to our ongoing contributions to this initiative in Europe.