Patent ID: 8054182

Claim:
A method of performing an inspection of a vehicle, comprising: providing a vehicle inspection site proximate where the vehicle travels; providing at the vehicle inspection site a hand-held portable inspection wand including a video camera that captures video in a field-of-view extending from an end of the wand, a speaker, a microphone, and transceiver components coupled with the video camera, speaker and microphone; providing a command site separated a safe distance from the vehicle inspection site, the command site including equipment for displaying information and for transceiving information, including audio-visual information, with the wand; staffing the command site with one or more personnel for commanding the inspection; causing the vehicle to stop at the vehicle inspection site; instructing an occupant of the vehicle to exit the stopped vehicle; instructing the occupant to grasp the wand at the vehicle inspection site; transmitting instructions from the command site to the occupant, over the safe distance and through the wand, that direct the occupant to capture video of the vehicle at the vehicle inspection site using the wand; capturing video of the vehicle using the wand while the occupant uses the wand to inspect the vehicle responsive to the transmitted instructions; transmitting the captured video from the wand to the command site; and displaying the transmitted captured video at the command site.