Hemispherical Underwater Non-Acoustic Tracking LiDAR (HUNT-L)

Under this contract we will develop the concept system design of a LiDAR-based tracking system, that can provide accuracies on the order of a couple of inches while tracking an underwater object in real-time. The feasibility of the concept will be demonstrated by modeling and simulation to inform a rigorous systems engineering process and technical design review. The Option will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase-II. In addition to the innovative adaptation and systems integration of well understood technologies for the hardware design, the key to meeting the ambitious goals of real-time operation will be the development of efficient processing and analysis algorithms, the proof of concept for which will be developed and demonstrated using both simulated and real datasets in Phase-I, thereby informing the optimal hardware and software design. Indeed, previously validated analytical modeling together with underwater field measurement data obtained with a BeamSea Associates mobile underwater three dimensional imaging and mapping LiDAR, an end-to-end simulation framework will be constructed to demonstrate the feasibility of the system design which will include details on system hardware and software architecture and will specify additional key system components and their expected performance, with the overall real-time software and hardware solution that will be built during the Phase-II effort being form-fit-function-compatible within the Underwater Signature Measurement System (USMS) hemispherical qualification unit.