Haowen Lai

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About

Haowen Lai is an emerging researcher at the forefront of radio frequency (RF) sensing and imaging, working to bridge the gap between traditional optical systems and RF-based perception. His most notable contribution, PanoRadar, introduced in 2024, represents a landmark advancement in RF imaging technology, achieving LiDAR-comparable 3D resolution while maintaining robustness under conditions that challenge optical sensors such as fog, smoke, and poor lighting. This breakthrough, which has already garnered 21 citations, unlocks a new frontier by enabling visual recognition tasks — previously exclusive to camera or LiDAR systems — to be performed using radio frequency signals. Building on this foundation, Lai's 2025 work introduces CartoRadar, an RF-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) system capable of centimeter-level 3D mapping accuracy, rivaling vision-based approaches. This follow-on work addresses real-world reliability challenges inherent to learning-based RF systems. Together, these contributions position Lai as a pioneering voice in RF perception research, with significant implications for autonomous navigation, robotics, and sensing in degraded environments where conventional optical technologies fall short.