Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:2366 rec.autos:7476
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!nbires!hao!husc6!bu-cs!madd
From: madd@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Jim Frost)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.autos
Subject: Re: Robocop spotted (Photo radar enforcement)
Message-ID: <20253@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 28 Feb 88 22:00:40 GMT
References: <418@flatline.UUCP> <1285@alliant.Alliant.COM> <3541@cup.portal.com> <1056@ur-tut.UUCP>
Reply-To: madd@bu-it.bu.edu (Jim Frost)
Followup-To: sci.electronics
Organization: Boston University Distributed Systems Group
Lines: 37

In article <1056@ur-tut.UUCP> aptr@tut.cc.rochester.edu.UUCP (The Wumpus) writes:
>>Erict@flatline.UUCP (eric townsend) writes:
>>>Well... It was explained to me that older corvettes are more immune
>>>from all radar because of their angled radiator design...
>
>I actually thought about how to make a car radar "invisible" a few
>months back.  The trick is not to use any of the fancy fiber-glass or
>plastic panels, but to use thin metal, probably titanium or aluminum.
>Instead of trying to make the car so that it does not reflect any
>radar, make it so that it reflects the radar away from the source.

[description of whole car design deleted]

>Unfortunately, if you start thinking about what a car that reflects
>all the radar away from the source would look like, you come up with a
>car that could easily be pulled over because it looks too fast.  "You
>may not be speeding, but who is going to beleive you weren't speeding
>in _this_ car?"

Your description is quite good, but you don't have to build the entire
car like this.  As previously mentioned, the Corvette's design led to
low radar image even though it had not been designed that way.

You need only bounce the radar from items that would return a radar
image of sufficient strength to be useful.  Generally, this means the
engine block.

Why not put angled plates around the engine that would either reflect
the radar up or down (or both)?  Make the car body out of some
non-radar-reflecting substance (such as plastic).  The car itself
would be invisible to the radar, and the big target (the engine) would
be protected.

Your car wouldn't even have to look "fast".

jim frost
madd@bu-it.bu.edu