One of the biggest challenges that predators, such as the larvae of the diving beetle Thermonectus marmoratus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), are faced with is to accurately assess the distance of their prey. Most animals derive distance information from disparities of images that are viewed from different angles, from information that is obtained from well-controlled translational movements (motion ...

We report on studies of plasmas, formed by the interaction of 80 fs, 1 J Ti:Sapphire laser pulses with solid matter. The laser intensity was 5 10 W/cm. The Ka1, 2 X-ray emission spectra at z4.5 keV were measured using a toroidally bent GaAs (400) crystal spectrometer with the spectral and spatial resolutions of 0.3 eV and 4 mm, respectively. A Si (220) polarizer was used for determining the pol...

A new hand-held laser range scanner is introduced that can capture multi-view range images of an object and integrate the images without registering them. The scanner uses a reference double-frame that acts as the coordinate system of the object. Range images captured from different views of the object are in the coordinate system of the double-frame and, thus, automatically come together. A si...

The Pidar provides 3 dimensional points to a client that represent a 3 dimensional environment. An infrared laser sensor provides distance data along a Z axis and angular data on an x axis. A motor rotates the laser mechanism around a Y axis; this supplies the system with the necessary data in order to create a 3D point cloud representation of an environment. The Pidar utilizes a Linux operatin...

We experimentally demonstrate an inter-satellite laser link acquisition scheme for GRACE Follow-On. In this strategy, dedicated acquisition sensors are not required-instead we use the photodetectors and signal processing hardware already required for science operation. To establish the laser link, a search over five degrees of freedom must be conducted (± 3 mrad in pitch/yaw for each laser beam...

In space, radio frequencies (RFs) are usually used for long-distance linkage. However, recent progress in optics and laser technologies, especially in fiber optics, is ushering in an era of inter-orbit communications using laser beams. Both RFs and optical waves are electromagnetic waves, but optical waves offer many advantages in space, including reduced mass, power, and volume of equipment, h...

The problem of fitt,ing straight lines to a, number of data points arises frequently in image processing and comp~it~er vision. In this paper, we consider two approaches to solve the line detection problem in range images. The first is a simple 3D approach that finds the best line among a randomly selected subset of lines each through a pair of edge points. The second approach, based on tabu se...

one of the most valuable and important application of artificial satellites in geodetic sciences is recovery of the earth's gravity field. orbits of satellites either gravimetric or nongravimetric are analyzed to improve the earth's gravity field. gravimetric satellites are launched at low altitudes to observe gravity field in more detail. grace twin satellites are the second spacecra...