Acoustic Imaging Systems (for Robotic Object Acquisition).

Abstract : The long-term objective of the effort is to establish successful approaches for 3D acoustic imaging of dense solid objects in air to provide the information required for acquisition and manipulation of these objects by a robotic system. The objective of this first year's work was to achieve and demonstrate the determination of the external geometry (shape) of such objects with a fixed sparse array of sensors, without the aid of geometrical models or extensive training procedures. Conventional approaches for acoustic imaging fall into two basic categories. The first category is used exclusively for dense solid objects. It involves echo-ranging from a large number of sensor positions, achieved either through the use of a larger array of transducers or through extensive physical scanning of a small array. This approach determines the distance to specular reflection points from each sensor position; with suitable processing an image can be inferred. The second category uses the full acoustic waveforms to provide an image, but is strictly applicable only to weak inhomogeneities. The most familiar example is medical imaging of the soft tissue portions of the body where the range of acoustic impedance is relatively small. Additional keywords: Algorithms; State of the art; and Manufacturing.