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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Engineers from University Alliance Ruhr have developed novel signal processing methods for imaging and material characterisation with the aid of radar. Their long-term objective is to use these techniques in combination with radar-based localisation of objects. Their vision is a flying platform capable of generating a three-dimensional representation of its surroundings [phys.org]. The technology might be, for example, useful for finding out what firefighters might encounter behind clouds of smoke in a burning building.
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In principal, the same measurement technique should be suitable for material characterisation as well as localisation. However, it is not yet being used simultaneously for both. The measurement principle is as follows: a radar emits electromagnetic waves that are reflected by objects. Broadly speaking, it is possible to calculate how far away an object is located based on the delay between the transmitted and returning signals.

Additionally, the returning waves provide even more information. The strength of the reflected signal is determined by the size of the object, by its shape, and by its material properties. A material parameter, the so-called relative permittivity, describes a material's response to an electromagnetic field. Calculating the relative permittivity, researchers can thus figure out what kind of material the object is made of.

Perhaps this could help your kids find their shoes amid the piles of junk in their rooms.

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