Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi,

My project aims to design a Light Detection & Ranging(LiDAR) sensor which will be optimized for use in helicopters. After designing and building the sensor itself, I plan on using software to process data from the sensor and produce high resolution, 3-d maps of the environment. Then, I plan on using computer vision and artificial intelligence algorithms to detect objects in the environment(3-d maps) and have the helicopter land itself autonomously by creating trajectories and responding to objects in the environment in real-time. I am going to test my sensor through flight simulations on a computer.
Currently, I can't decide which category I should go into, Electrical & Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science since my project combines elements of both categories.

Thanks,
Nondefault

Nondefault - I'm not sure there is a perfect answer to your category question, so I'll give you my choice and a few arguments in favor. What you are describing is a complete system that is built on several unique hardware platforms (and if you were just demonstrating the uniqueness of the hardware, I'd put it into the Electrical Engineering category), that provides an integrated system that is dependent on the software subsystems and algorithms to provide the ultimate end solution. I'd say that defines the higher order of your experiment and puts it into the Computer Science category. While the hardware is very likely elegant, I think the software elements really define the solution. My personal bias comes from being involved in the hardware side of the industry for most of my career when logic 'state machines' solved the fixed problems of the day. It came to be that software really was the layer that enabled the interactive and innovative end solution. My two cents.

Rick Marz

rmarz - Thank you for your quick reply. I do agree, although I am building hardware(LiDAR sensor) for an autonomous helicopter landing system, the system would be impossible without the use of artificial intelligence and computer vision. Indeed, the software is what will make it a complete system.

Thanks,
Nomdefault