Hyperimager: A compact multi-spectral imaging platform

Imaging technologies are an essential part of healthcare, quality assurance, science, and daily life in general. Sensors and devices that allow us to obtain information or “see” outside of the visible spectrum, such as a thermal camera or an X-ray camera, have become increasingly available over the last few decades. Multi-spectral imaging consists of looking at a scene at distinct portions of the electromagnetic spectrum to gain information/insights otherwise unavailable or with more accuracy than using a single wavelength. Hyperspectral imagers present in airborne platforms and satellites have shown the vast possibilities arising from imaging a scene over a broad range of wavelengths, mainly for geospatial applications. Inspired by the capabilities of hyperspectral imagers, and motivated by the increasing availability of silicon-based sensors for multiple wavelengths (mmWave, THz, infrared, visible domain, etc), IBM Research has developed a portable multi-spectral imaging device (Hyperimager) consisting of a mmWave phased array coupled to radar signal processing, an IR camera, and a visible domain camera. This talk will present the the hyperimager architecture, the associate Si-based mmWave radar imaging sensor, and initial multi-spectral imaging results.