Group 9 (2005)

Student Members: Jeff Magalhaes Nicholas Klassen Nicholas Swieder Mark Dunn

Faculty Advisor: Dayalan Kasilingam

Project Title: Terrain Mapping By Use of Radar

Project Description (provided by group): The purpose of our project was to create a sensor for the UMASSD Darpa vehicle, DAVe. Our sensor will determine what type of terrain DAVe is on and convey that to the main AI of the vehicle so that an intelligent decision can be made on what actions the vehicle should make. Our sensor operates on the principles of Frequency Modulated Continuous Radar and on the backscatter effects of Radar. Based on power of the received signal and the time delay of receiving that signal, we are able to determine what type of surface is most likely in front of the sensor. Harder surfaces return higher power signals, while surfaces like water and brush return lower power signals. This helps the vehicle determine how fast it should be going and whether or not to stop and investigate the upcoming course.