This demo presents RFind, a system that enables fine-grained RFID localization via ultra-wideband emulation. RFind operates by measuring the time-of-flight -- i.e., the time it takes the signal to travel from an antenna to an RFID tag. To do so, it emulates an ultra-wide bandwidth on today's narrowband RFIDs without requiring any hardware modification to the tags. It then uses the large emulated bandwidth to estimate the time-of-flight and localize RFIDs. In contrast to past RFID localization proposals, RFind can operate in multipath-rich environments without reference tags and without requiring tag or antenna motion. The demo will allow users to move RFID-tagged objects to any location in line-of-sight, non-line-of-sight, and multi-path rich settings and check that the system can accurately localize the objects.
more »
« less
Real-time object tracking using a leaky THz waveguide
We demonstrate a 2D radar system for the THz region using a leaky parallel-plate waveguide, which can support real-time object tracking. The system can track a target within 200 ms with an accuracy of 1 mm in range and 1.4° in angle. Because the system is based on broadband excitation, it can locate multiple objects simultaneously. The broadband excitation also enables sensing of objects for which there is no direct line-of-sight path to the waveguide, via detection of a non-line-of-sight path.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1923782
- PAR ID:
- 10157704
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optical Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Optics Express
- Volume:
- 28
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 1094-4087; OPEXFF
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 17997
- Size(s):
- Article No. 17997
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract A key challenge in millimeter-wave and terahertz wireless networks is blockage of the line-of-sight path between a base station and a user. User and environmental mobility can lead to blockage of highly directional beams by intervening people or objects, yielding link disruptions and poor quality of service. Here, we propose a solution to this problem which leverages the fact that, in such scenarios, users are likely to be located within the electromagnetic near field of the base station, which opens the possibility to engineer wave fronts for link maintenance. We show that curved beams, carrying data at high bit rates, can realize a link by curving around an intervening obstacle. We develop a model to analyze and experimentally evaluate the bandwidth limitations imposed by the use of self accelerating beams. We also demonstrate that such links employ the full aperture of the transmitter, even those portions which have no direct line of sight to the receiver, emphasizing that ray optics fails to capture the behavior of these near-field wave fronts. This approach, which is ideally suited for use at millimeter-wave and terahertz frequencies, opens vast new possibilities for wave front management in directional wireless networks.more » « less
-
We consider the problem of generating a fixed path for a mobile observer in a polygonal environment that can maintain a line-of-sight with an unpredictable target. In contrast to purely off-line or on-line techniques, we propose a hierarchical tracking strategy in which an off-line path generation technique based on a RRT is coupled with an online feedback-control technique to generate trajectories for the mobile observer.more » « less
-
Abstract Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) imaging aims at recovering the 3D geometry of objects that are hidden from the direct line of sight. One major challenge with this technique is the weak available multibounce signal limiting scene size, capture speed, and reconstruction quality. To overcome this obstacle, we introduce a multipixel time-of-flight non-line-of-sight imaging method combining specifically designed Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array detectors with a fast reconstruction algorithm that captures and reconstructs live low-latency videos of non-line-of-sight scenes with natural non-retroreflective objects. We develop a model of the signal-to-noise-ratio of non-line-of-sight imaging and use it to devise a method that reconstructs the scene such that signal-to-noise-ratio, motion blur, angular resolution, and depth resolution are all independent of scene depth suggesting that reconstruction of very large scenes may be possible.more » « less
-
Abstract Soft and miniaturized robots possess the capability to operate inside narrow, confined environments. However, powering soft robots inside these environments with on-board batteries or wired connections to external power supplies can significantly restrain their mobility. Similarly, wireless actuation approaches are constrained by near-field actuation, line-of-sight operation, or indiscriminate actuation of many actuators. To provide higher mobility for wireless soft robot to operate inside non-line-of-sight scenarios, we present a radio-frequency system that introduces frequency-selective actuation of liquid crystal elastomer actuators. We create liquid crystalline elastomer actuators with a low actuation temperature and embed them with conductive traces that resonate and heat by selected frequencies of radio-frequency excitation in the 2.40 GHz range. We further develop a wireless actuation platform that infers the wireless channel and beamforms towards the actuator to achieve efficient beamforming. Demonstrations show our system is capable of selectively actuating different actuators while the robot is in motion and obstructed by occlusions.more » « less
An official website of the United States government
