Virtual Radar: Real-Time Millimeter-Wave Radar Sensor Simulation for Perception-driven Robotics

ViRa is a real-time FMCW radar simulation frameworks aimed for robotic applications.

<img src="https://github.com/chstetco/virtualradar/blob/main/readme_images/ICRA2021_snip01.gif" width="416" height="234" /> <img src="https://github.com/chstetco/virtualradar/blob/main/readme_images/ICRA2021_snip02.gif" width="416" height="234" />

The framework allows simulation of FMCW radar sensors with different configuration parameters in different scenarios embedded in the Unity3D game engine environment.

Main features

• Generation of radar raw data in real-time
• Fully customizable radar parameters
• Modelling of multi-antenna systems
• Modelling of wave penetration effects of non-conductive objects
• Modelling of antenna radiation patterns for beamforming

A paper describing ViRa has been accepted for publication in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L). A video showcasing the frameworks capabilities in different scenarios can be found on our Youtube channel.

NOTE: We are continuosly working to improve and expand the ViRa framework. For most recent news, please refer to our news section.

<img src="https://www.aau.at/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/efrelogo.png" width="350" height="75" />

Installation and Usage

For a detailed instruction on how to install and use Vira on your platform, please refer to the links below.

• Installation Guide
• Framework Documentation

News

• 2021-23-07

  • We added some sample code for processing the output data of ViRa.
  • We will soon release further implementations for multi-antenna systems. Stay tuned!

• 2021-02-03

  • ViRa's first release is online! V0.1.0 is now available for download.

• 2021-20-02

  • We are online! Creating documentation and installation guides.

• 2021-13-02

  • ViRa has been accepted for publication in the RA-L journal.

Reference

Please cite our RA-L paper if you use this repository in your publications:

@ARTICLE{9387149,  
author={C. {Schöffmann} and B. {Ubezio} and C. {Böhm} and S. {Mühlbacher-Karrer} and H. {Zangl}},  
journal={IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},   
title={Virtual Radar: Real-Time Millimeter-Wave Radar Sensor Simulation for Perception-Driven Robotics},   
year={2021},  
volume={6},  
number={3},  
pages={4704-4711},  
doi={10.1109/LRA.2021.3068916}
}