Self-Mixing Interferometric Speedometer

To address the U.S. Army need for a self-contained navigation subsystem, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Self-Mixing Interferometric Speedometer (SMIS). The SMIS will reliably trace the movement of a dismounted soldier with respect to the ground, floor, walls, trees, or other stable objects and surface. The SMIS is based on POC's extensive experience with laser Doppler velocimetry. Integrating state-of-the-art self-mixing laser diode interferometry with commercial off-the-shelf components, the SMIS will have advantages that include small size, light weight, low cost, high reliability, low power consumption, and high accuracy. The SMIS can be incorporated into Army sensor platforms to measure velocity, displacement, and vibration. In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the SMIS by building an initial prototype for laboratory testing at POC's on materials representative of an urban environment. In Phase II POC will design and develop the full scale SMIS prototype and perform field tests specified by the Army.