DrGraham Brooker

Project Opportunities

Title: Radar modeling of large mining vehicles

Summary of opportunity:

 

Opportunity synopsis:

 

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Project Opportunities

Title: 3D millimetre wave radar imaging using a low cost plasma display

Summary of opportunity:

It has long been known that Glow Discharge Detectors (GDDs or neon bulbs) are able to detect microwave, millimetre wave and even THz radiation. Recent work has also showed that in addition to the direct detection process, they are also capable of mixing or heterodyning two signals to generate a beat. This allows individual GDDs to be used as the core of Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar. Recent research has extended this process to using an array of GDDs to generate simple 3D radar images.

Opportunity synopsis:

Our innovation is to realise that low resolution plasma displays can be used in place of individual arrays of GDDs to form the imaging sensor for a 3D millimetre wave radar. Initial work in generating simple direct detection images is promising. However, significant research is required to develop the optics, to improve the sensitivity of the arrays and to develop the readout hardware and software to produce a viable imager.

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Project Opportunities

Title: Indoor radar acoustic sounding a a new modality navigation sensor

Summary of opportunity:

Radar acoustic sounding systems (RASS) generate short acoustic pulses that are tracked by a colocated Doppler radar. They rely on the focussing effect of the expanding acoustic pulse and the Bragg effect to maximise the effective RCS of the acoustic pulses. This has been used for atmospheric profiling for many years. However, little work has been done on using it for indoor applications. We have recently completed a prototype RASS that operates at an acoustic frequency of 40 kHz and an EM frequency of just below 18 GHz that is capable of tracking pulses out to 10m or more.

Opportunity synopsis:

Images made using such a sensor could be used to detect materials with extremely low reflectivities, such as anechoic materials, by using the extinction of the electromagnetic return. In conjunction, the acoustic system could operate as a sonar to provide a more conventional target detection modality. Such a dual modality imaging device could provide a more effective means of navigating indoors in smoky environments in which LIDAR and conventional radar sensors are unreliable.

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Project Opportunities

Title: High frequency radar acoustic sounding for detection of air turbulence

Summary of opportunity:

Tracking an acoustic pulse relies on well behaved air flow, hence the short range RASS could be used to identify turbulence in front of UAVs and other relatively slow moving aerial vehicles. This will allow them to perform pre-emptive manoeuvres and hence maintain better stability than would otherwise be possible.

Opportunity synopsis:

This project will operate in conjunction with researchers from Aero.

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Project Opportunities

Title: Effective microwave energy based weed killing

Summary of opportunity:

A prototype weed killer based on microwave radiation has been developed. This device is novel in that the emitter horn is fed through a flexible coax cable, allowing the device to be manipulated by a vehicle mounter robot arm.

Opportunity synopsis:

Recent work has shown that it is possible to use meta materials to focus microwave beams to concentrate the power to fractions of a wavelength and hence reduce the lethal exposure time on weeds. Additionally it may be possible to use the plant topology and polarisation effects to improve the heating effect still further.

This project will operate in conjunction with the Ag group at the ACFR.

----------Current Research Projects----------

Radar acoustic interactions

Entomological harmonic radar

Micro Doppler signature analysis

Plasma based millimetre wave radar imaging

Microwave weed killing

Verstibular disorders

Mechanics of canulation

Dental robotics

Forces on mother and child during birth

Properties of the cervix