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MAROON: A Dataset for the Joint Characterization of Near-Field High-Resolution Radio-Frequency and Optical Depth Imaging Techniques

Vanessa Wirth1, Johanna Bräunig1, Nikolai Hofmann1, Martin Vossiek1, Tim Weyrich1,2,* Marc Stamminger1,*
1Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 2University College London, *Both authors contributed equally to this research.

arXiv

Paper Supplementary arXiv Code Data (Mini) Demo

The MAROON dataset enables studying of different sensor modalities in direct comparison.
We currently provide a mini version of the dataset, releasing the full version after paper acceptance.

Demo Viewer (try here )

Data Viewer (Github)

Abstract

Utilizing the complementary strengths of wavelength-specific range or depth sensors is crucial for robust computer-assisted tasks such as autonomous driving. Despite this, there is still little research done at the intersection of optical depth sensors and radars operating close range, where the target is decimeters away from the sensors. Together with a growing interest in high-resolution imaging radars operating in the near field, the question arises how these sensors behave in comparison to their traditional optical counterparts.

In this work, we take on the unique challenge of jointly characterizing depth imagers from both, the optical and radio-frequency domain using a multimodal spatial calibration. We collect data from four depth imagers, with three optical sensors of varying operation principle and an imaging radar. We provide a comprehensive evaluation of their depth measurements with respect to distinct object materials, geometries, and object-to-sensor distances. Specifically, we reveal scattering effects of partially transmissive materials and investigate the response of radio-frequency signals. All object measurements will be made public in form of a multimodal dataset, called MAROON.

Paper

Supplementary

BibTeX

@misc{wirth2025maroondatasetjointcharacterization,
        title={MAROON: A Dataset for the Joint Characterization of Near-Field High-Resolution Radio-Frequency and Optical Depth Imaging Techniques}, 
        author={Vanessa Wirth and Johanna Bräunig and Nikolai Hofmann and Martin Vossiek and Tim Weyrich and Marc Stamminger},
        year={2025},
        eprint={2411.00527},
        archivePrefix={arXiv},
        primaryClass={eess.IV},
        url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.00527}, 
      }

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG (Munich, Germany) for providing the radar imaging devices.

This work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – SFB 1483 – Project-ID 442419336, EmpkinS.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the scientific support and HPC resources provided by the Erlangen National High Performance Computing Center of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen- Nürnberg.