Robots that can see around corners using radio signals and AI | Penn Today Skip to Content Skip to Content News from University of Pennsylvania Try Advanced Search Penn Engineers have developed a system that lets robots see around corners using radio waves processed by AI, a capability that could improve the safety and performance of driverless cars, as well as robots operating in cluttered indoor settings like warehouses and factories. View large image (From left) Penn Engineering’s Zitong Lan, Haowen Lai and Mingmin Zhao. (Image: Sylvia Zhang) The system, called HoloRadar , enables robots to reconstruct three-dimensional scenes outside their direct line of sight, such as pedestrians rounding a corner. Unlike previous approaches to non-line-of-sight (NLOS) perception that rely on visible light, HoloRadar works reliably in darkness and under variable lighting conditions. “Robots and autonomous vehicles need to see beyond what’s directly in front of them,” says Mingmin Zhao , assistant professor in computer and information science (CIS) in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and senior author of a paper describing HoloRadar . “This capability is essential to help robots and autonomous vehicles make safer decisions in real time.” At the heart of HoloRadar is a counterintuitive insight into radio waves. Compared to visible light, radio signals have much longer wavelengths, a property traditionally seen as a disadvantage for imaging because it limits resolution. Zhao’s team realized that, for peering around corners, those longer wavelengths are actually an advantage. “Because radio waves are so much larger than the tiny surface variations in walls,” says Haowen Lai , a doctoral student in CIS and co-author of the new paper, “those surfaces effectively become mirrors that reflect radio signals in predictable ways.” In practical terms, this means that flat surfaces like walls, floors and ceilings can bounce radio signals around corners, carrying information about hidden spaces back to a robot. HoloRadar captures these reflections and reconstructs what lies beyond direct view. “It’s similar to how human drivers sometimes rely on mirrors stationed at blind intersections,” says Lai. “Because HoloRadar uses radio waves, the environment itself becomes full of mirrors, without actually having to change the environment.” Read more at Penn Engineering Share this article Threads Credits Writer Ian Scheffler More from School of Engineering & Applied Science Artificial Intelligence Robotics Faculty Graduate Students Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system Health & Medicine Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form. No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise Image: Sciepro/Science Photo Library via Getty Images Natural Sciences No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies. Studying Shakespeare through the lens of love In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted. nocred Arts & Humanities Studying Shakespeare through the lens of love In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love. Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion nocred Technology Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.