Project abstract
One of the most important applications of radar remote sensing is the accurate measurement of terrain deformation and the displacement of man-made structures. Today, these measurements are performed using different types of radar systems, including real-aperture radars installed on ground-based platforms and synthetic aperture radars (SAR) operated from airborne platforms such as airplanes and satellites.
The URANUS project introduces a ground-breaking and original approach to this field. Funded by the Italian Applied Sciences Fund, URANUS is based on the use of a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to create a network of collaborative radars. Each UAV will operate simultaneously as both transmitter and receiver, forming a distributed Multistatic Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) radar system.
Thanks to this configuration, a small group of drones can generate a large number of radar images of the same area, observing the same targets simultaneously from multiple viewing geometries. This represents a major leap forward compared to conventional ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne radar systems.
The URANUS approach offers several key advantages: highly accurate retrieval of deformations in all three spatial dimensions, significantly improved rejection of atmospheric disturbances, and enhanced spatial resolution. These features make it possible to achieve sub-meter accuracy over areas extending across several square kilometres.
As a result, URANUS is expected to deliver unprecedented performance in all scenarios where precise deformation measurements are critical. The project has the potential to transform the deformation and displacement monitoring market, with particularly strong impact in applications such as mining early warning systems, geotechnical and civil engineering, infrastructure monitoring, and natural disaster prevention.
