Technology Innovation Institute (TII) today announced that its Directed Energy Research Centre (DERC) has, in partnership with Brazilian technology disruptor RADAZ, received the first microwave images from their joint project on Airborne Multi-band Interferometric Microwave Imaging with images taken in the deserts of Abu Dhabi.
Hidden objects
DERC and RADAZ are aiming to objects buried in the ground using an airborne payload. The Airborne Multi-band Interferometric Microwave Imaging Project A(MI)2 can generate terrain images from microwave sensor readings in the P, L, and C frequency bands.
A set of specialised microwave units and antennae are connected to commercial drones, enabling the production of ‘microwave images’. The microwave sensors embedded on a UAV flying above a pre-defined area collect electromagnetic measurements. Once collection is complete, back-projection algorithms convert the data into microwave images using georeferenced information from a ground station.
Finer resolutions
The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is used to create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. The SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide finer spatial resolution than conventional stationary beam-scanning radars and is an effective and important technique in monitoring crops and other agricultural targets as the quality of the images does not depend on weather conditions.
In addition, SAR is sensitive to the geometrical structures and dielectric properties of the targets, and its penetration ability is increased by using innovative flight trajectories. Through integrating the Ground Penetrating Radar capability, users can enhance the multirole payload’s strengths across a number of applications.
Speaking on the development, Dr. Ray O. Johnson, CEO of Technology Innovation Institute (TII), said: “We are proud to witness DERC’s growing synergies with leading tech-diruptors around the world. As a young organisation, we are always happy to cooperate with entities such as RADAZ in spearheading transformation. Our success with microwave imaging technology as demonstrated via Project A (MI)2 will attract more entities with similar interests and further advance our goal of ensuring transformational global impact.”
Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, Chief Researcher, Directed Energy Research Centre (DERC), added: “This is a significant breakthrough, and it is one that we are really excited about. The Directed Energy Research Centre and Radaz will continue to investigate several applications to push the technology beyond the existing domains. With our Ground Penetrating Radar capability, we are confident that we can now add value in multiple related areas of remote sensing and enhance DERC’s credibility as a cutting-edge Research Centre.”
Elidio Frias, CEO, RADAZ, said, “The collaboration with TII’s Directed Energy Research Centre is a great move for our company. The cooperation will allow us to push remote sensing technology forward, and we are convinced that our effort and contributions will significantly define and impact the remote sensing society worldwide.”
New technology
UAV-based multiband radar is a new technology that is currently being studied by select research institutes and universities in the world, and it is among the first systems of its kind being tested in the UAE. This system holds potential in research and engineering applications for the detailed monitoring of small areas as a UAV is more practical and versatile than planes or satellites. Among the key prospective applications are precision agriculture, subsurface tomography, civil engineering monitoring, coastline monitoring, earth observation, and assessing the sediment content on beaches.
TII is active in a variety of technologically advanced fields, including AI and quantum computing.
