> They're real, but impossible to get anything from > them if you're a small company. > > I've tried several times... > here is the response I got from someone at LLL; > Mike, > > MIR is big business and licensing rights are very expensive, starting > at about $100K I think. I have heard there are other players in the > game but I don't know who they are. Not exactly hobbiest is it! > > Because it's "sensitive business information" I couldn't be specific > about circuit details even if I knew them. However, I can tell you > it's basically measuring speed and distance just like ultrasonic > ranging circuits do only at high RF frequencies, say 1GHZ and above. > Light and electron speed verses time equals distance traveled. Cable > testing equipment has been using this technique for years to locate > breaks in lines and measure charactaristic impedance of transmission > lines. It's called "Time Domain Reflectometry". > > If you had a high frequency pulse and sent is down a wire to the > correct antennea, it can be radiated directionally or > omnidirectionally. Again with the correct antennea, reflected pulses > received back will measure the distance or propagation delay between > the transmitted and recieved pulses which is the distance divided by > two. Radar right? > > The MIR technology has a low cost way of doing this. It only takes > about $15 in parts to build one. I imagine any hobbiest with maybe > alittle more than hobbiest skills could put together an "equivalent" > circuit. In my opinion, it's not the circuitry thats make MIR special, > it's the 3D imaging software that makes it useful for things like land > mine detection and imaging bridge infrastructures for physical > defects. I don't think that level of software technology will make it > to the hobbiest level for years, maybe never. Otherwise, MIR only > "beeps" at you if you're backing your car into a tree! > > Intrestingly enough, one application for the MIR technology is in the > 3D imaging of helicopter blades for flexing and active dynamic > balancing! > > The bottom line is MIR will not be hobbiest level until it's use has > saturated the market to the satisfaction of those who control it. When > there's no money to be made, it might become public domain and > available to the hobbiest. Just my opinion of course. Good Luck. > > > > Greg Hensley > Lawrenece Livermore National Laboratory > mail stop L-395 > 7000 East Ave. > Livermore, CA 94550 > voice (925) 423-4850 > Fax (925) 423-7144 > Email hensley1@llnl.gov > Zircon was supposed to have an advanced stud finder that uses it. Some company was also working on an automotive anti-collision system using it. Looks like our best hope is that it has been given/sold to the Chinese ;)