Low cost phased array radar for applications in engineering education

Hands-on instruction in engineering education is beneficial to the development of a workforce that understands the complexity of building radar systems. Unfortunately, building phased array systems tends to be too costly to allow student access to the hardware necessary for developing these skills. This paper presents a low cost phased array based on a time-domain multiplexed, multiple-input, multiple-output (TDM-MIMO) approach that has been built for education. This array has been utilized in several free courses held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the Independent Activity Period (IAP) between semesters. Students have built, tested, and taken home a number of these radars and continue to operate these on their own, either for recreation or as part of their undergraduate research activities.