Radio detection and ranging (radar) uses reflected radio waves to detect and determine the distance, angle, and velocity of objects relative to the radar system. A basic radar system consists of a transmitter producing electromagnetic waves in the radio or microwave spectrum (these can be pulsed or continuous), a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna (often […]
How can AI/ML improve sensor fusion performance?
Sensors are becoming ubiquitous as their price and availability continue to improve. However, sensor data is not that simple and is prone to noise and other interference. The complexities of sensor data have led to sensor fusion that aims to perform better than a single sensor by improving the signal-to-noise ratio, decreasing uncertainty and ambiguity, […]
How are sensors improving maritime navigation?
Of course, GPS is important, but radar and the automatic identification system (AIS) use various sensors to track and report on ship positions in real-time. Sensor fusion is being developed for autonomous shipping. And there are hydrophones combined with other sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to identify and track whale movements […]
What sensors do you need to land on the moon?
NASA is developing several sensor systems and algorithms for use on Artemis moon landings. It’s called the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) technology suite. It consists of three primary elements: An inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a camera for terrain relative navigation. Second is Doppler LiDAR to determine the lander’s velocity […]
What sensors does NASA use to monitor Martian weather?
The Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) on the Perseverance rover is characterizing the surface weather as well as the dust particle size and morphology. Understanding dust behavior is a key to predicting Martian weather. Dust influences Mars’ weather the way that water controls Earth’s weather. Two of MEDA’s weather-related goals are: determination of the destructive […]
What is the role of sensor fusion in robotics?
As robots become increasingly autonomous, sensor fusion is growing in importance. Sensor fusion merges data from multiple sensors on and off the robot to reduce uncertainty as a robot navigates or performs specific tasks. It brings multiple benefits to autonomous robots: increased accuracy, reliability, and fault tolerance of sensor inputs; extended spatial and temporal coverage […]
Sensor fusion levels and architectures
Sensor fusion is the process of combining inputs from two or more sensors to produce a more complete, accurate, and dependable picture of the environment, especially in dynamic settings. The goal of sensor fusion is to provide those improved results with the minimum number of sensors and minimum system complexity for the lowest cost. The […]
Sensor fusion – How does that work?
Each sensor type, or modality, has inherent strengths and weaknesses. Sensor fusion is the process of bringing together inputs from multiple sensors to form a single model or image of the environment around a platform. The resulting model is more accurate because it balances the strengths of the various sensors. Sensor fusion brings the data […]
The role of ADAS sensors in automotive design
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are intended to prevent deaths and injuries by reducing accidents. Exemplary ADAS applications include: pedestrian detection/avoidance, lane departure warning/correction; traffic sign recognition; automatic emergency braking, and; blind-spot detection. This FAQ starts with an overview of the “levels of driving automation” and its relation to ADAS. It then reviews the role […]
Undersea optical-fiber cables do double-duty as seismic sensors, Part 2: Application
A research team has devised and tested a scheme based on advanced optical-physics principles, which uses active submarine optical-fiber data cables also to sense ocean-floor earthquakes and ocean-surface swells. The previous part of this article established the context for “piggybacking” seismic-sensing capabilities onto an existing undersea fiber-optic cable. This part looks in more detail at […]
