MIT AR Headset Uses RF Signals to Reveal Hidden Objects
upstart writes:
MIT AR Headset Uses RF Signals to Reveal Hidden Objects:
The headset, called X-AR, relies on radio frequency (RF) signals to operate. RF signals are wireless electromagnetic signals most often used for communication, like in walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and your favorite radio station. Their ability to pass through solid material makes for an ideal locator-provided the hidden object possesses an RFID tag.
RFID tags reflect RF signals emitted by an RF antenna. As these reflections occur, MIT's AR headset captures them and turns them into a virtual transparent sphere. The sphere tells the user where an item is, regardless of whether it's sitting in a cardboard box, around a corner, or under a pile of other objects. Once the user picks up the item, the AR headset verifies that they've picked up the right thing.
MIT associate professor Fadel Adib, who directs a wireless and sensor technologies group, led a team of research assistants and postdoc students in creating the headset. The team started with a Microsoft Hololens AR headset with an RF antenna. Then they programmed the antenna to use synthetic aperture radar (SAR). This technique enabled the antenna to measure the distance between itself and RFID-tagged objects. This technique proved highly effective thanks to humans' free range of motion: Frequent movement provided the SAR antenna with multiple measurements, facilitating more accurate localization.
[...] As one can imagine, this isn't just useful for a lighthearted game of hide-and-seek. Warehouse, retail, and factory workers could use the technology to quickly and easily find the necessary equipment, rather than opening and digging through bin after bin. There's also a chance emergency services could also use it for search-and-rescue missions, but anything they'd hope to find under snow or rubble would have to contain an RFID tag.
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