ALERT | Awareness and Localization of Explosive-Related Threats

Advanced Imaging Technology for Whole Body Imaging
F2-G

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The Advanced Imaging Technology project began in the fall of 2010 with the goal of de­veloping an improved multi-modality portal-based passenger screening system. Millimeter-wave (mm-wave), x-ray backscatter, infrared sensing, and terahertz sensing are being considered. The 56­64 GHz mm-wave imaging system has produced several hardware and data processing innovations. These include: a novel Blade Beam reflector transmitting antenna that produces narrow target illu­mination to allow accurate stacked 2D reconstructions of the 3D surface; a carefully positioned mul­tistatic array receiving antenna for artifact-free imaging; and a fast data processing technique, based on the Fast Multipole Method (FMM), that produces 2D SAR images from scattered field sample. The specially-built hardware platform facilitates reconfigurable sensor placement in order to develop the multistatic imaging radar system. In addition, a patent-pending algorithm has been developed for determining the dielectric constant of weak dielectric objects attached to the body. These improve­ments leads to faster, more accurate whole body imaging to improve the security screening process, with proved detection capabilities validated by means of measurements carried out with a first mm-wave portal prototype.