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INESC TEC, in the words of our partners – Statement by João Pereira do Carmo at European Space Agency

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Corporate

This section gives voice to companies and organisations that have worked with INESC TEC in various projects and activities. A good relationship and good examples are fundamental ingredients for science and technology to serve society with equal amounts of enthusiasm and professionalism.

João Pereira do Carmo, Optical System Design Engineer, ESA (European Space Agency)

  • “As a consequence of the good results obtained with INESC TEC’s activity, the ESA has launched a tender to develop a more advanced Imaging LIDAR system, implementing Compressive Sensing technologies and methods.”

History of the relationship between the company and INESC TEC

INESC TEC and ESA have started working together in 2005. More precisely, the first contract awarded by the ESA to INESC TEC aimed to develop High-Resolution Micro-Optics Filters for LIDAR Applications. The most recent contract started in 2012 and was concluded in 2014, and its goal was to develop CYCLOPS – Single Pixel Imaging LIDAR System Based on Compressive Sensing.

Business areas

Space exploration

Year in which the institution collaborated with INESC TEC

Since 2005

Title of the project

High-Resolution Micro-Optics Filters for LIDAR Applications (2005)
CYCLOPS – Single Pixel Imaging LIDAR System Based on Compressive Sensing (2012-2014)

INESC TEC Centre(s) with which the company collaborated

CAP – Centre for Applied Photonics

Project manager (INESC TEC)

Francisco Araújo

Filipe Magalhães

Statement about the Project

CYCLOPS – Single Pixel Imaging LIDAR System Based on Compressive Sensing

Future space missions based on robotic systems need to have a wide range of sensors that will allow the ship to make several decisions autonomously in critical moments of the mission.
An example of these moments occurs when ships are landing on other celestial bodies (such as the Moon, Mars or Asteroids). While the ship is approaching land, the navigation system needs information from the sensors on the relative distance from the ship to the surface, on the existence of hazards on the surface (such as craters or rocks), as well as on the speed of the approach manoeuvre and the attitude of the ship.

Nowadays, one of the sensors that can help the ships in these types of operations is the Imaging LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor. Imaging LIDARs use pulse laser radiation to determine distances and make it possible to obtain a 3D image of the terrain observed. One of the greatest difficulties in Europe is the lack of high spatial resolution detectors (sufficient number of pixels) which may be used for long distance ranging applications, and thus for the imaging LIDAR system. Alternatively, using scanning mirrors becomes obligatory, making the system heavy and complex.

The CYCLOPS has made it possible to develop a system that uses a single-pixel detector combined with a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) without using scanners. Using the method of Compressive Sensing, it was possible to demonstrate that with the setup and technologies selected the system can take measurements of distances and retrieve the desired three-dimensional information from the target observed. This demonstration paves the way for several completely innovative Imaging LIDAR systems that can be implemented in a number of applications for space, and not just that!

As a consequence of the good results obtained with INESC TEC’s activity, the ESA has launched a tender to develop a more advanced Imaging LIDAR system, implementing Compressive Sensing technologies and methods.