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Motion Free Scanning Radar
Head: Scott Boehmke
Contact: Scott Boehmke

Mailing address:
National Robotics Engineering Consortium
Ten 40th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Associated centers: FRC and NREC

Autonomous mobile equipment rely on imaging sensors as their primary perception mechanism. These sensors generate terrain elevation maps of the region surrounding the robot. The robot uses these maps to avoid obstacles, to detect task specific targets, and to generate path plans for navigation. Additionally, the sensors can provide a means to detect any humans entering the workspace, ideal for assisting humans operating dangerous equipment in construction, mining, or agriculture applications.

Millimeter wave (MMW) radar is an ideal imaging sensor modality because it provides precise range measurements for the environmental imaging needed to perform autonomous operations in dusty, foggy, and poorly lit environments. Existing radar imaging systems require moving parts to scan the radar beam which adds to size, cost, and reduces reliability. A completely solid state scanning radar would greatly improve the dependability and ultimately the acceptance and widespread use of automated systems. The decrease in the cost and size of the sensor resulting from a solid state approach would enable new operator-assist and autonomous applications for outdoor environments.

This project incorporates the current state of the art in non-mechanical scanning antenna technology with advanced millimeter-wave ranging technology to enable a small, reliable, and affordable imaging-radar sensor with no moving parts. Sensors will be demonstrated on the sponsor's equipment in typical operating scenarios and environments.

Name - Title <Email Address>
• John Bares - Research Professor/Director of NREC <bares@cs.cmu.edu>
• [Home] James Ryan Miller - Commercialization Specialist <jmce+@ri.cmu.edu>
• David Stager - Senior Commercialization Specialist <xxx>

Note: This list may not be comprehensive. It contains only those publications in the RI publications database. Entries are listed in reverse chronological order.

• Scene Modeling from Motion-Free Radar Sensing
  A. Foessel
  doctoral dissertation, tech. report CMU-RI-TR-02-03, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, January, 2002. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [4422 KB] copyrighted

• MMW-Scanning Radar for Descent Guidance and Landing Safeguard
  A. Foessel and W.L. Whittaker
  Proceedings 6th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space, June, 2001. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [217 KB] copyrighted

• Three-Dimensional Map Building with MMW Radar
  A. Foessel, J. Bares, and W.L. Whittaker
  Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Field and Service Robotics, Yleisjäljennös - Painnopörssi, Helsinki, Finland, June, 2001. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [219 KB] copyrighted

• Radar Sensor Model for Three-Dimensional Map Building
  A. Foessel
  Proc. SPIE, Mobile Robots XV and Telemanipulator and Telepresence Technologies VII, SPIE, Vol. 4195, November, 2000. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [272 KB] copyrighted

• Short-Range Millimeter-Wave Radar Perception in a Polar Environment
  A. Foessel, S. Chheda, and D. Apostolopoulos
  Proceedings of the Field and Service Robotics Conference, August, 1999. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [399 KB], ps.gz [2014 KB] copyrighted

• Radar sensor for an autonomous Antarctic explorer
  A. Foessel, D. Apostolopoulos, and W.L. Whittaker
  Proc. SPIE , Mobile Robots XIII and Intelligent Transportation Systems, Vol. 3525, January, 1999, pp. 117-124. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [523 KB], ps.gz [679 KB] copyrighted

• A High Speed 3D Radar Scanner for Automation
  S. Boehmke, J. Bares, E. Mutschler, and K. Lay
  Proceedings of ICRA '98, Vol. 4, May, 1998, pp. 2777-2782. [Abstract]
  Download: pdf [661 KB] copyrighted