A Robot… That Can See Through Walls!

Robots on four wheels are fun on their own merits, but one thing that most lack is the ability to see through walls.  With it’s onboard radar system, this bot is equipped to see objects that a person couldn’t normally detect on the other side of the wall.

Although some of the more “nuts and bolts” details of this build are missing, the robot uses an Ultra-Wideband Radar system called the [D1] Radar System. This system can, according to their documentation, “Avoid false positives caused by vapor, dust, smoke, rain or other small particles.” Apparently this means drywall as well if programmed correctly.

In the video after the break, the robot’s sensor package is programmed to ignore anything within 1.5 meters. This allows the robot to mirror the movement of the apparent shelving unit on the other side. This sensor could certainly have some interesting robotics applications besides imitating a rolling shelf, so we’re excited to see what it will be used for!


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qI3hpX3BjA%5D

14 thoughts on “A Robot… That Can See Through Walls!

  1. Death Machine (1994), anyone? :-)

    Since the detection range of the radar module is limited to 4m and close-by objects are ignored, the module will be really tricky to use when more than distance sensing is required. Interesting video, though.

  2. I think this uses something similar to the parallax motion detector. Here’s the specs on it.

    The X-Band Motion Detector operates in the X-band frequency, at 10.525 GHz and indicates detected movements with oscillations in its high/low output.

    The X-Band Motion Detector’s sensor is a common ingredient in security systems and automatic door openers, and can detect movements in a room, yard, or even on the other side of a wall. Sensitivity is manually adjustable with a potentiometer, offering direct line of sight detection from roughly 8 to slightly over 30 ft (~2.4 to 9+ m).

    Features:

    Operation frequency of 10.525 GHz
    Able to detect motion through walls and windows
    More immune to false triggers than passive infrared motion sensors
    Active-high enable pin with internal pull-up resistor
    Trim potentiometer for manually adjustable sensitivity
    4-Pin SIP header for breadboard or through-hole prototyping
    Built-in series resistor for compatibility with the Propeller microcontroller and other 3.3 V devices
    Plated test point hole for monitoring pre-comparator signal
    Application Ideas:

    Security systems
    Automatic door openers
    Automatic lighting
    Nuisance animal deterrence
    Key Specifications:

    Power supply requirements: regulated 5 VDC, 8 mA
    Communication: High (3.9 V) / low (0 V) signal oscillates with motion
    Dimensions: 1.8 x 1.75 x 0.75 in (46 x 45 x 19 mm)
    Operating temp range: +32 to +131 °F (0 to +55 °C)

  3. Honestly I’m more interested in the control behind the bot than the radar… if you wouldn’t mind divulging that information. Microprocessor? FPGA? Assembly? C++? Bueller?

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