Miniaturized Phased Array RADAR For UAVs/Drones Project Progress
I started a project a while ago on how to create a miniaturized version of a phased array RADAR that could be used on very small UAVs/Drones. Extensive research was performed on this subject, which took a couple of years to complete. Was I to use low frequencies? Do I need an upcoverter? If so, how to maintain proper phase of the signal during upconversion? How to calculate the distance of an object? How to calibrate such a RADAR? Is it possible to perform 3D mapping? If so, how do I handle all of that data? The questions seemed to be never-ending, and really have expanded my repertoire of knowledge significantly, if not to capacity (lol). I then began to consider if such technology should even be open-sourced, and thus my dilemma.
Current testing shows that this type of RADAR is quite effective at picking up things from great distances, and even through walls, depending on the amount of power that is output. Because the signal can be pinpointed to a very narrow width, directing such energy, even at powers around 1-watt, can reveal sensitive things. For example, I can map my entire house from a single location with this, knowing where furniture is placed, where doors are, where the cats are, etc. It is scary, but at the same time, very intriguing. I intended this phased array RADAR do be used by drones/UAVs to be able to detect other drones and also be able to autonomously fly by detecting objects nearby; however, it seems that such technology can be even more revealing, and thus may have more extensive uses. With all of this in mind, I have decided that I should keep this technology to myself and not distribute it. Perhaps I will create some application where I can sell the devices for a certain purpose, but it’s too early to tell as of now I only have a prototype. Thanks to everyone who wrote me about this project and expressed interest in working on it when I first announced it. There are some really cool people in this world.
It all started when I watched my dad fix a very expensive RC car after I ran it to death, when I was a kid.