UAV Long Wave and RF Obstacle Detection

To address the Air Force’s need for novel lightweight sensors for indoor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Intellisense Systems, Inc. (ISI) proposes to develop a new UAV Long Wave and RF Obstacle Detection (ULROD) sensor suite, based on a new design of a long-wave infrared (LWIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) imagers and Lidars, and a millimeter wave (MMW) sensor. Specifically, innovations in (1) micropolarized camera arrays enable augmented feature resolution for LWIR imaging; (2) spectral laser selection optimizes Lidar transmission by 10x; and (3) polarization cross-section enhancement and triangularization by three MMW sensors enables small wire detection. This sensor suite offers direct window detection, optimized transmission of all subsystems in degraded visual environments (DVEs), and wire detection, which directly address Air Force UAV requirements. In Phase I, ISI will analyze, design, evaluate, and demonstrate feasibility by developing deployment plans and testing sensors in structures and environments to guide design. ISI will demonstrate ULROD feasibility by detecting windows, small wires, and functionality in DVEs. In Phase II, ISI will continue the design of a maturing prototype while expanding features. ISI will validate ULROD’s design though experimentation and multiple demonstrations in structures and environments to characterize it.