Background
Current methods for estimating high-resolution hyperspectral images focus on using spectrometer data to estimate the spectral response of each pixel in the high-resolution image, and then fusing this information with the multispectral data. This results in a high-resolution hyperspectral image that has proven to be effective for high-resolution aerial imagery, and has shown to improve the accuracy of image classification tasks. Hyperspectral imaging systems also have been previously mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and use scanning mirrors to capture hyperspectral data from a wide field of view. However, the number of bands captured through hyper-spectral cameras are limited, producing lower resolution final images.
Invention Description
Researchers at Arizona State University have developed UltraScan, a two-axis scanning spectrometer system designed to enhance the fidelity of environmental monitoring. The UltraScan system uses a drone flight controller and a custom yaw-pitch (pan/tilt) gimbal to collect scene data by executing and assembling sinusoidal scan patterns. This system is used in conjunction with high-definition cameras that can enable GPS-denied operation through Semantic SLAM, and estimated semantics can be correlated with the spectroscopy pointcloud. The UltraScan system provides enhanced environmental monitoring capabilities at an affordable price point, while generating data for environmental digital twins at unprecedented spatial-temporal-spectral resolutions.
Potential Applications
- Nighttime fluorescent spectroscopy with UV lasers
- Agriculture & ecology
- Environmental monitoring & tracking
- Planetary surface prospecting (e.g., moon)
- Mining & prospecting
Benefits and Advantages
- Affordable spectrometer system
- Ultra-high fidelity (2048 bands, high resolution)
- Enhanced situational awareness for environmental monitoring applications