"Seeing" Through Walls - A Signal Processing Perspective

Moeness Amin
Villanova University

Monday, November 24, 2008 at 1:00PM

54-134 Engineering IV Building
Refreshments Served

Abstract: Electromagnetic waves passing through a medium are subject to amplitude and phase distortion. There is an increasing need to develop signal processing algorithms to combat wall impairing effects, permitting detection, classification, and location of objects and humans behind walls. "Seeing" optically obscured objects behind obstacles such as walls, doors, and other visually opaque materials is a powerful tool for a variety of civilian and law enforcement. Through-the-wall imaging (TWI) has been recently sought out in rescue missions, behind-the-wall target detection, surveillance and reconnaissance. TWI technology is used in rescue mission to search for earthquake and avalanche victims, and can aid fire fighters looking for survivors. The technology can also be employed for detection and surveillance of suspected criminals and outlaws. The technology of choice is based on emission and reception of radio frequency (RF). RF signal waveforms below the S-band are capable of penetrating through building walls, but the resulting observations are sensitive to a wide range of factors, including layout geometry, interior and exterior wall thicknesses, and wall EM scattering signatures, existence of doors and windows, and clutter objects within the building. The locations of the RF sensors outside and around buildings can be optimally selected based on desired performance as well as standoff safety and operation logistics factors and requirements. In this talk, we discuss the different challenges facing the problem of achieving reliable indoor imaging of targets behind walls. Stationary and moving targets are considered. Localization techniques for animate and inanimate objects are presented. We argue for an interdisciplinary approach for development of an effective imaging TWI system. Specifically, we show that statistical signal processing, array processing, time-frequency analysis, and image processing, must all be considered in devising credible solutions to the problem.

Biography: Dr. Moeness Amin, Ph.D. received his B.Sc. degree in 1976 from Cairo University, Egypt, M. Sc. degree in 1980 from University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, and his Ph.D. degree in 1984 from University of Colorado, Boulder. All degrees are in Electrical Engineering. In 1984, Dr. Amin joined the University of Colorado, Denver as a Visiting Assistant Professor. He has been on the Faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Villanova University since 1985. In 2002, he became the Director of the Center for Advanced Communications, College of Engineering. Dr. Amin is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); Recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal; IEEE Signal Processing Society Distinguished Lecturer for 2003-2004; Fellow of the International Society of Optical Engineering; Member of the Franklin Institute Committee on Science and the Arts; Recipient of the 1997 Villanova University Outstanding Faculty Research Award; Recipient of the 1997 IEEE Philadelphia Section Award for "Outstanding Intellectual and Organizational Contributions to the IEEE Philadelphia Section in the Area of Signal Processing" and a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, and Phi Kappa Phi. Dr. Amin has over 350 journal and conference publications in the areas of Wireless Communications, Time-Frequency Analysis, Smart Antennas, Secure Communications, Interference Cancellation in Broadband Communication Platforms, Anti-Jam GPS, Target Tracking, Direction Finding, Channel Equalization, and Radar Systems. He is a regular invited participant at the biannual US/Australia Joint Defense Workshop and has been an invited speaker at several NATO meetings on Radar Imaging. Dr. Amin has received federal research funds from DARPA, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Rome Lab (RL), US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), US Government Office of Research and Development, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). His industry sponsors include General Electric, Lockheed Martin, InterDigital Communication Corp, Comcast Cellular, the Boeing Company, and the Sarnoff Corporation. He has two US patents and served as a consultant to Micronetics Wireless, ELCOM Technology Corporation, Ablaze Systems, Inc., Rajant Corporation, VerdaSee Solutions, Inc., and VIZ Manufacturing Company. Dr. Amin is a three-time recipient of Villanova University Faculty Summer Research Grant. Dr. Amin was the General and Organization Chair of the IEEE Workshop on Statistical Signal and Array Processing, Pocono Manor Inn, Pocono Manor, Pa, August 2000. He was the Technical Program Chair of the 2nd IEEE International Symposium on Signal Processing and Information Technology, 2002. He was the General and Organization Chair of the IEEE International Symposium on Time-Frequency and Time-Scale Analysis, Philadelphia, PA, October 1994. He was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing during 1996-1998. He was a member of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Committee on Signal Processing for Communications during 1998-2002. He was a Member of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Technical Committee on Statistical Signal and Array Processing during 1995-1997. He has given several keynote and plenary talks, served as a Session Chair in several technical meetings, and is a reviewer for seven journals. Dr. Amin organized six "All-Day Seminars" for the Franklin Institute Medal Program and the IEEE Philadelphia Section. In 1992, Dr. Amin spent a Sabbatical at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan, and was a Summer Research Fellow at Rome Lab, US Air Force in 1994. He was a Visiting Professor at the Technology University of Malaysia during the summer of 1997. He was a speaker and the founder of the three-day intensive short course "Advances in Time-Frequency Signal Processing with Applications," which was offered annually from 1990-1997 at Villanova University, University of Michigan, and Singapore.