On the use of augmented reality devices for subsurface radar imaging

Abstract

The idea of using the emerging augmented reality (AR) devices with scanning contact sensors is considered in this paper. This concept is illustrated by the experimental setup which includes a holographic subsurface radar as a contact sensor, web-camera, and personal computer. The data acquisition is accomplished by tracking the radar antenna tagged by an AR-marker. The radar image is updated periodically in real time as more data samples become available, making the data acquisition adaptive. It is shown that the use of a video-based tracking system may increase the data acquisition speed by a factor of ten in comparison with the traditional scanning approach which requires collecting data along consecutive parallel lines over the whole area before calculating the radar image. The data visualization with AR removes the problem of radar data mapping from the computer screen to the probed scene. Further advantages of using AR-devices, which may influence the signal processing, including data from different sensors, are suggested.