UASA Sensor a miniature Synthetic Aperture Sensor for use in real time imaging from Unmanned Aircraft

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The aim of this 6 month Proof of Market project is to investigate the commercial feasibility ofa miniature sensor,using electromagnetic signals and synthetic aperture data processing, toimage underlying terrain in any weather conditions, in real time, from an unmanned aircraft(UA). The key features of this UASA sensor are:• range up to 1 km with a resolution of < 1m• output peak power < 250 Watts in which GaN transistors are used to minimise theelectrical power requirement• weight < 2 kg so several units can be carried on one UA• operating centre frequency < 2.5 GHz, so high performance and low cost WLAN RFcomponents can be used• data processing in real time, using energy efficient processors such as theSnapDragon S4 CPU, used in smartphonesDirect user pressure for this type of sensor has come from staff at Shell Exploration HQ inRijswijk in the Netherlands, Statoil in Norway and ENI in Italy. This sensor can also be usedin interferometric mode (I-MODE) to detect differences between two or more successivescans. In addition to all weather imaging in real time for navigation purposes, the UASAsensor could be used in the detection of:• vehicles and people in a pipeline Right of Way• an oil slick at sea, or on the ground (I-MODE)• subsidence near an oil well, as a result of pumping oil from an underground oilreservoir (I-MODE)• tracks near an oil pipeline (I-MODE)We will explore ways in which we could work with universities in the UK and with othercompanies with relevant expertise in the processing of the measured data. This sensor willfind use in oil, gas and mineral exploration work, representing the business oriented aspect ofthis work. Societal benefits include the detection of oil spills in real time, enabling remedialmeasures to implemented.The economic benefits will stem from both our use of this sensor and sales of the sensor foruse in exploration and monitoring work and in military applications.