Autonomous Vehicle Awareness Sensors

This topic is designed by the Air Force to develop a self contained sensor system that autonomously detects and tracks objects in the vicinity of a host platform and prescribe collision avoidance maneuvers as appropriate.  In this proposal the platform will be a space platform, the sensor will be dual mode and the detection range will be short as a step toward longer detection range in the future.  The objects to be detected are other space platforms or space debris.  The sensor could be used for autonomous docking maneuvers of space platforms or separation of a space platform from a launch vehicle.  For autonomous ground or rotary wing UAS operations, the sensor could also be used for hazardous obstacle detection and avoidance.  The reason for this limited scope of applications is that object detection range of the sensor will be limited by the fact that affordable, reliable, compact, light weight COTS solid state device technology will be used rather than costly, customized, power hungry transmitter technology which is needed to achieve extended range.  Proposed is a very small, low cost, high resolution, dual-mode lightweight sensor. The dual-mode sensor combines high resolution millimeter radar with high resolution electro-optical sensor.   BENEFIT: The initial application is the stated topic use for Autonomous Vehicle Awareness.  There are other governmental and commercial applications.  Some of the many possible DOD/DHS uses include (1) Detect vehicle and human movement in a military remote or urban environment, (2) Detect vehicle and human movement in border security or law enforcement activity, (3) Detect security violations (weapon detection) at portals to secure facilities.  Commercial applications include automotive collision warning, and obstacle avoideance for unmanned robotics.