If the radar sensor cannot be attached to the roof of a vehicle, can two sensors be used instead e.g. one at the front and one at the back?
The radar can be mounted on the front, side or back of a vehicle. The system can operate as normal with a restricted field of view e.g. 130°, meaning only one radar is required per vehicle.
How do you configure the sensor on mining vehicles so that is it not sticking up above the vehicle? Will there be a 180° panel version?
You can fit the radar sensor to the front of the mining vehicle and simply just use 180° of its range. In the case of a recent train trial, a single sensor was mounted on the front of the train to provide 180° coverage.
How easy is this product to install into vehicles
It is very easy to install. You simply plug it in and it outputs position information, rather like a smart sensor. Only the most basic integration is needed, such as connecting with a power supply.
Why is this tech better and more reliable than others? Is there any case that it fails? What places it doesn’t work? What testing have you done to prove your claim it works 100% of the time?
The technology is better because it operates in all weather and light conditions, including underground, unlike GPS. The only case when it would fail would be in a place where the radar sensor gets absolutely no reflections back from its environment. Somewhere that is fully radar absorbent, for example, where it is utterly flat. One would assume that in the Arctic, for example, it would not work, but we have tested the radar in the Arctic and in other sparse environments and it has performed reliably.
What testing have you done to prove your claim it works 100% of the time?
We have tested the technology in mines, ports, on boats, cars and trains. In every circumstance with successful results.
Can it track a specific target? Are obstacle velocities available?
No, Terran360 is a localisation system, it does not do object tracking. However, clearly, radar is often used for object tracking. This will be a new product offering coming soon. If you don’t want to wait, customers have access to the standard output of our imaging radar.
Does Terran360 provide vehicle orientation (roll, pitch, yaw) information in addition to location?
It provides yaw, but not roll and pitch.
How much data is needed to be uploaded for map updates (during a highway or urban journey)?
Uncompressed, a map is less than 10 MB per km. This is low when compared to Laser, for example, which can up be up to 1 GB per km.
When used on inland waterways, do we first need to build a map of the waterways as a database to be used? Does the system need training for operation in a new environment e.g. passing a new lock the first time?
The system doesn’t need training. It does need a map, however it quickly and easily creates a multi-experience map for you, the first time it moves through your environment, without any need for external infrastructure. The system also features ego-motion estimation, so even without a map, it provides position and velocity estimation through accurate dead reckoning.
Doesn’t the system require a pre-defined map? To make the system work globally, would maps would be required globally?
Terran360 builds a map of its workplace. The maps are very small, light and quick to create. The system is also aware of how it is moving, irrespective of a co-ordinate frame, through ego-motion estimation.
How stable are the maps you create over long periods of time – do they need updating?
Mapping updates are possible but rarely needed. Radar maps are much more stable than vision and laser maps. But of course, Terran360 gives a lightweight way to update your maps should you need to.
Does this solution provide absolute or relative localisation? Is it a SLAM based solution? Does it require any prior information like a map of the environment?
It is not a SLAM based solution. However, it does produce its own maps and it can output both relative and absolute position depending on how the map is built.
Does it really not use GPS at all? How can you prove that you can work without GNSS/GPS? How is it affected by GPS jammers?
The solution operates entirely independently from GPS/GNSS. To demonstrate its capability to you, we can ground-truth the performance of Terran360 with GPS, and then run it without it. We would encourage you to contact us for a trial, so we can test its performance for your application as a proof of concept. As Terran360 operates entirely independently, its performance is unaffected by GPS jammers and is consistently reliable.
How does the SWaP, Cost and Servicing of an m-scan radar fit within autonomous vehicle markets?
It fits very well, particularly because our radar requires no servicing throughout its lifetime, and mechanical scanning not a cost driver. For Terran360°, off-road industrial automation is our primary market.
