Automatic target recognition

Automatic target recognition (ATR), is the ability for an algorithm or device to recognize targets or objects based on data obtained from sensors.

The application of automatic target recognition technology is a critical element of robotic warfare. ATR systems are used in unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. General Electric provides an Automatic Target Recognition Unit (ATRU) for the Standoff Land Attack Missile, which processes pre-launch and post-launch targeting data, allows high speed video comparison, and enables the SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Missile - Expanded Response) Missile to be truly "Fire-and-forget".

The simplest version of an ATR system is the IFF transponder.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the support of DARPA have shown that it is possible to build a synthetic aperture radar image of an aircraft target using passive multistatic radar, possibly detailed enough to enable Automatic Target Recognition (ATR).

Peacetime applications of ATR include a proposed safety system that uses active UWB radar signals to identify humans or objects that have fallen onto subway rail tracks