Man Portable Personnel Detection Device for MOUT

This project demonstrates the feasibility of fusing ultra wideband (UWB) radar and acoustic sensors to produce a high performing man portable personnel detection device for MOUT. Time Domain Corporation (TDC) has developed RadarVisionâ, a commercially available, handheld, battery-operated, synthetic aperture UWB through-wall motion imaging device. This device rapidly indicates and displays sources of motion behind walls. An ongoing Air Force contract will deliver enhanced features needed for MOUT applications. UWB penetrates concrete, sheetrock, wood, plaster, tile and fiberglass, but it is blocked by solid metal and metal coated objects. Since acoustic energy does travel through metal, fusing a sonic sensor with RadarVision would provide additional capability to sense through metallic barriers. In this project, TDC will investigate how UWB-enabled radars and sonic devices operate independently in similar motion-detection scenarios. The company will fabricate, test and demonstrate an acoustic sensor testbed, define a prototype radar-sonic fused system, and predict fused sensor performance. If Phase I results show sufficient improvements in performance, in Phase II TDC will assemble and test an integrated, dual-sensor system for evaluation by DoD in MOUT scenarios. The sonic enhancement could also be incorporated into TDC's commercial product for use by law enforcement and search and rescue teams.