New Frontiers in Space Metamaterials

By Duke Today

Michael Boyarsky, a research scientist in electrical and computer engineering, holds a model made with Legos and explains how his new technology differs from current satellite sensors.

“We have pioneered a new way of making satellite imaging antennas. Our metamaterial antennas enable a jump from taking 100 images per day to 10,000. This boost is possible thanks to the way we were able to engineer new solutions to the challenges of operating in space,” Boyarsky says.

Beyond just the capacity bump, the technology allows satellites to return quickly, delivering real-time images of the Earth within 15 minutes from a constellation of satellites, “allowing us to truly track the Earth as it's evolving from natural and human causes,” he adds.

Boyarsky began working on the technology 10 years ago as a grad student at Duke in David Smith’s metamaterials lab. He has since received several grants, including one for $2.3 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).