Redefining the future of electromagnetic sensing: portable single-pixel millimeter-wave cameras operating in real-time

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Electromagnetic imaging gives us a new sense of vision to "see the invisible". It achieves this due to the ability to see through most optically opaque materials. This is of great interest for several applications such as security screening and non-destructive evaluation of food, materials and structures. However, current limitations of the existing technology prevent the mass adoption of electromagnetic imaging systems, since they are constrained to very specific niche applications, such as security screening at airports using booth-size systems, which are not affordable in other contexts. Low-cost, portable solutions, such as freehand imaging systems pioneered by the fellow, offer a disruptive solution to redefine the future electromagnetic sensing technology. Nevertheless, these systems suffer from long acquisition times and demand a significant hardware complexity that limit their use as portable scanners (coherent computational imaging). Therefore, the future portable millimeter-wave cameras require drastic changes to be a feasible option for use in real-time applications. For that purpose, the vastly understudied framework of incoherent computational imaging, leveraging compressive sensing techniques, will be developed. The ultimate goal of this project is to overcome the previous limitations to deliver the first portable millimeter-wave single-pixel imager offering real-time performance. In addition, this fellowship will form the beginning of an independent research career of the applicant, who will benefit from a thriving research environment and a comprehensive training program. Moreover, he will be mentored by world-class experts, which will guide him through his research and will help him to build a large collaboration network.