I-Corps: Enhanced light detection and ranging imaging by advanced signal processing

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is related to the wide range of applications of light detection and ranging (LiDAR). LiDAR sensors mounted on robots and vehicles are a key component in sensing their environment. With initial applications in automated vehicles, advanced driver assistant systems and fully automated vehicles in the future can potentially reduce the number of accidents caused by inattentive drivers or avoid accidents altogether. Airborne LiDAR allows for 3D mapping of the earth's surface as well as canopy and buildings. This information can be used in insurance, mining, construction planning and other industries. There are also homeland security and defense applications which can benefit from improved models of the environment when operating in hostile. The overall domestic LiDAR market is currently growing rapidly with greater demand for both general and advanced LiDAR signal processing.This I-Corps project aims at harnessing the properties of light particles (photons) for more accurate light detection and ranging (LiDAR) detection. LiDAR sensors use short laser pulses and record the travel time of photons upon reflection by objects. This travel time is proportional to the distance traveled and therefore allows for 3D imaging of the surroundings. Effects such as ambient light, scene reflectivity, and complex inter-reflections in the scene can significantly degrade the quality of the derived images. New signal processing algorithms model these effects on the received photon stream and therefore allow for higher quality scene estimation. Depth information is fused with another property of photons, the wavelength, which encodes the color of the reflected object. Both color and depth information allow for a realistic image of the environment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.