Video Rate Microwave Imaging for Concealed Threat Detection

Microwave Theory and Techniques Society and co-sponsoring GeoScience and Remote Sensing Society

Public spaces such as mass transit systems, stadiums, and airport ticketing lounges face tremendous security challenges due to high foot traffic and easy concealment of threat items. A practical system that can screen subjects very quickly (ideally at video rate) can serve as a useful tool in securing such environments. Realization of such a system presents two major technical challenges: 1) implementation of an electrically large antenna array for capture of a moving subject, and 2) fast image reconstruction on cost-effective computing hardware. This talk will discuss development of a system that employs a hardware-efficient multistatic array to address the former challenge, and a novel fast image reconstruction technique to address the latter. Experimental results will be presented illustrating that the array design can be used to form high fidelity 3D images, and that the fast imaging technique can construct a human-sized imaging domain in <0.1sec on cost-effective computing hardware. Dr. William Moulder is a technical staff member in the RF Technology group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. His research interests include microwave imaging systems, wideband antenna arrays, and Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STAR) technology. He received B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University. To assist us in planning this meeting, please pre-register at http://www.ieeeboston.org/Register/.