Electromagnetic Metasurface with Object Information and Position Illusion in Radar Vision at Microwave Frequencies

Camouflage skills are important for understanding the relationship between predators and prey in ecological systems. Mimicry is a common strategy used by creatures to alter their appearance in order to blend in with their surroundings and avoid detection. This paper unveils a previously unknown camouflage strategy that creates false object information and positions of an object in the visual range of radar sensor vision. A dispersion-modulated illusionary metasurface to realize focal spot coding in a 3-dimensional space to fit the radar imaging process is proposed. As the radar image indicates, an aircraft image is created by a flat metasurface plane with good polarization adaptation ability. Design, simulation, and experimental results validate the study. This camouflage strategy indicates the complexity of the food chain and can be used by both predators and prey, providing accessible insights for maintaining biological diversity. The metasurface-based system can be potentially utilized in future radar markers for marine traffic control systems.