Multilayered Wall Characteristic Extraction for Through Wall Radar Systems

In this SBIR Phase II research, we propose to i) improve robustness and efficiency of the algorithms and techniques, which we developed in Phase I for wall parameter estimation, detection of metallic-backed walls, and characterization and near real-time imaging of wall"s interior structure, ii) extend the developed techniques to a combination of an exterior and interior walls, iii) investigate performance of the techniques in presence of ground reflections, wall edge diffraction, and other multipath effects that may be present in an operational terrain, and iv) develop handheld and portable radar systems that incorporate one or more of the developed capabilities. To achieve these tasks, we have put together an outstanding team of researchers from eWave Informatics (EWI), Villanova University (VU), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK), and Wyle Inc. Our team has extensive expertise in both algorithms and hardware development in electromagnetics, radar, signal processing, antennas, and RF systems as applied in through-the-wall-sensing and imaging. In addition, we have teamed up with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a non-profit entity, which will provide us with commercialization assistance and help in securing required resources for transitioning the proposed algorithms and systems to fully developed commercial products in Phase III.