SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to conduct research and development of a resonant light detection and ranging (R-LIDAR) distance sensing technology. This technology will advance the development of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) by providing improved distance sensing performance and order-of-magnitude reductions in sensor size and cost. The commercial impact of this project is that it will enable development of RAS technologies that are expected to increase the productivity of many industries including mineral extraction, transport, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and defense. RAS technologies are currently limited by the size, performance, and cost of existing light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology, and users of these sensors are in need of improved solutions. Thus, the R-LIDAR system can be expected to make a significant commercial impact in a LIDAR sensor market that is expected to reach $625 million by 2020. Development of high-performance resonant optomechanical scanners for R-LIDAR systems would also benefit related disciplines that use beam scanning technologies such as microscopy, endoscopy, light machining, and displays.The intellectual merit of this project concentrates on the development of resonant light detection and ranging (R-LIDAR) technology based upon use of an optomechanical scanning element actuated at resonant frequency. Resonant scanners provide robust high-speed and high-performance operation that addresses limitations of incumbent light detection and ranging (LIDAR) distance sensors. The research aims of this project are to (1) develop and characterize key resonant scanner performance metrics such as scan stability, field-of-view, resolution, and frame rate and (2) integrate a resonant scanner element into a prototype R-LIDAR instrument to compare size, weight, and power specifications to incumbent LIDAR technology. R-LIDAR technology could provide an estimated ten- to hundredfold reduction in instrument size, fivefold increase in performance, and a tenfold decrease in instrument cost compared to currently available high-performance LIDAR distance sensors. These improvements will dramatically enhance the utility of distance sensing for unmanned and autonomous systems.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a resonant light detection and ranging (R-LIDAR) distance sensor based upon use of an optomechanical beam scanning element actuated at resonant frequency. The broader impact of this project is to commercialize distance sensing instrumentation that advances the development of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) by providing improved performance and order-of-magnitudes reduction in sensor size and cost. The development of RAS technologies could benefit society by increasing the productivity of economic activities in industries that include: mining, oil and gas, transportation, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, forestry, and defense. These industries are commercially significant and accounted for 24% of US GDP in 2015. Upon development, the R-LIDAR system is expected to make a commercial impact in a total addressable market for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) distance sensors that is expected to reach $739 million/year by 2018. Successful development of the R-LIDAR instrument will also pioneer opportunities for resonant scanning instrumentation in related optical applications that include microscopy, endoscopy, light machining, and display. Resonant beam scanners provide robust high-speed and high-performance operation that address size, weight, and power (SWAP) consumption limitations in state of the art light LIDAR distance sensors. The key outcome of the SBIR Phase I project was the successful integration of a resonant optomechanical element into an R-LIDAR distance sensor, demonstrating a 125 X 125 pixel field-of-view acquired at a 20 Hz frame rate. The SBIR Phase II project seeks to advance R-LIDAR instrumentation through (1) development of low-SWAP robust scanning elements, (2) techniques and instrumentation that allow for improved signal to noise ratio and high-rate data acquisition from pulsed time-of-flight LIDAR sensors, and (3) increased ranging capability of low-SWAP R-LIDAR instrumentation. Successful completion of these technical objectives will result in a distance sensing technology that will be particularly useful for high-accuracy surveying and inspection applications conducted using small unmanned aircraft system (S-UAS), where size and payload constraints are acute.