First responders have the dangerous task of responding to emergency situations in firefighting scenarios involving homes and offices. The importance of this radar is its ability to see through walls and into adjacent areas to provide the first responder with information to assess the status of a building fire, its occupants, and to supplement his thermal camera which is obstructed by the wall. For the firefighter looking into an adjacent room containing unknown objects including humans, the challenge is to recognize what is in that room, the configuration of the room, and potential escape routes. We have just concluded a series of experiments to illustrate the performance of 77GHz radar in buildings. The experiments utilized the Delphi Automotive radar as the mm wave sensor and included display software developed by L. H. Kosowsky and Associates. The system has demonstrated the capability of seeing through walls consisting of sheetrock separated by two by four pieces of wood. It has demonstrated the ability to see into the adjacent room and to display the existence of persons and furniture Based on published data, the radar will perform well in a smoke, haze, and/or fog environment.
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