Retro-transmitting Omni-Bidirectional On-the-move Laser-Illuminated Non-line-of-sight Optical Communication System

To address the Army"s need for an optical communication system that is suitable for the teleoperation of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Retro-transmitting Omni-Bidirectional On-the-move Non-line-of-sight Optical Communication (ROBOLINC) system. This system is based on non-line-of-sight diffused infrared light detection via a retro-transmitting omni-bidirectional transceiver consisting of a multiaperture superposition compound-eye sensor with a high-speed IR laser diode array, and a multispectral omnidirectional camera-based laser interrogator consisting of a 360-degree omnidirectional optics, a visible/near IR/shortwave IR CMOS imaging sensor, a lightweight-mirror fast scanning telescope, a multitarget video tracker, and eye-safe laser with high sensitivity detection. These innovations allow the system to meet the Army"s requirements on bandwidth, frame rate, range, day/night environment, SWaP, and on-the-move operation. In Phase I, POC will develop the ROBOLINC system design, investigate system components, and demonstrate ROBOLINC"s feasibility by testing a laboratory breadboard setup. In Phase II, POC plans to finalize the design and implement into a full prototype system which will be tested and demonstrated for controlling a robot in a realistic outdoor environment.