UAS IN CANADA
MARITIME PREDATOR
MEDICAL ROBOTS
Talking Underwater
auvsi.org 6 / , 5 - % . / s F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0
2 7 0 0 S o u t h Q u i n c y S t r e e t , S u i t e 4 0 0 , A r l i n g t o n , VA 2 2 2 0 6 , U S A
Contents
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Departments 5FDIOJDBM BEWBODFT JO ýZJOH VONBOOFE BJSDSBGU Q
Features
12
News Briefs
14
Company News/ New Products
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16
Quiet Please: Researchers Tone Down Unmanned Systems Noise
29
Shooting at Segways: Making Military Training More Realistic
20
Unmanned Systems Offer Appealing Solutions for the Canadian Forces
32
U.S. Homeland Security Using UAS to Patrol Southern Waters
23
Keep in Touch: Seeking Better Underwater Communication
36
Unmanned Science Roundup: Recent Promising Research
26
Flying FLAVIIR: Consortium Investigates Technical Advances
38
Is There a Doctor in the House? Robots Ensure the Doctor is Always In
Association News
9
Communications $PNNVOJDBUJOH &GGFDUJWFMZ 7JB 4PDJBM .FEJB
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
11
Editor’s Note 4USPOHFS 'BTUFS #FUUFS 6ONBOOFE 4ZTUFNT
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Ones to Watch
47
Calendar of Events
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On the cover: A Bluefin Robotics autonomous underwater vehicle, which can communicate acoustically while underwater, even in groups of vehicles. Researchers are looking into ways to improve underwater communications for such vehicles (see story on p. 23). Photo courtesy Bluefin Robotics.
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
3
The height of ISR knowledge. www.supportglobalhawk.com
GLOBAL HAWK Our Nation’s unmanned airborne ISR system, Global Hawk, provides unprecedented real-time situational awareness for decision makers in operations around the world. Able to cover vast geographic areas, flying at 60,000 feet
Š 2010 Northrop Grumman Corporation
for over 30 hours, and carrying advanced sensors, Global Hawk provides the capability necessary to help keep our soldiers, sailors, and airmen safe while they keep America safe.
USAF GLOBAL HAWK . US NAVY BAMS UAS . EURO HAWK . NASA GLOBAL HAWK
Index of Advertisers AAI Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.aaicorp.com Aero Tec Laboratories (ATL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.atlinc.com Bob Violett Models (BVM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 www.bvm-uav.com CDL Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover www.cdlsystems.com Cloud Cap Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 www.cloudcaptech.com Engineered Arresting Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 www.uavlauncher.com iRobot Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outside Back Cover www.irobot.com ISR Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 www.isrgroup.com L-3 IEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 www.iechome.com Microhard Systems, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 www.microhardcorp.com MicroPilot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 www.micropilot.com MicroStrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 www.microstrain.com NavCom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 www.navcomtech.com Northrop Grumman . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover, 8, 10 www.northropgrumman.com Rockwell Collins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 www.rockwellcollins.com/rely UAV Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.uavpro.com
Contact Us! We would love to hear from you. Michael Toscano, Executive Director toscano@auvsi.org Gretchen West, Deputy Executive Director, Director of Global Business Development west@auvsi.org Staci Butler, Director of Conference and Exposition Services butler@auvsi.org Amy Crolius, Director of Member Services crolius@auvsi.org Kyle Snyder, Director of Knowledge Resources snyder@auvsi.org Robert Thomson, CAE, Director of Operations thomson@auvsi.org TĂŠa Blaceri, Finance Manager blaceri@auvsi.org Angela Carr, Web Services Manager carr@auvsi.org Brett Davis, Editor davis@auvsi.org Lisa Grigg, Marketing Manager grigg@auvsi.org Leslie-Anne Hinton, Conference Manager hinton@auvsi.org Danielle Lucey, Associate Editor lucey@auvsi.org Cate Meyers, Graphic Design Manager meyers@auvsi.org Mario Mairena, Government Relations Manager mairena@auvsi.org Cassy Pristas, Business Development Manager pristas@auvsi.org Bill Rauch, Senior Research Analyst rauch@auvsi.org Alysa Reich, Communications Manager reich@auvsi.org Christian Robey, Business Development Manager robey@auvsi.org Lindsay Voss, Research Analyst voss@auvsi.org Elton Sinoimeri, Member Services Specialist sinoimeri@auvsi.org Adrianne Isaacs, Member Services Coordinator isaacs@auvsi.org Karissa Bingham, Administrative Assistant bingham@auvsi.org
Level 24 111 George Street Brisbane, Queensland 4002 Australia
Dr. KC Wong, Chairman, AUVS-Australia
Z Microsystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 www.zmicro.com
2700 South Quincy Street Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22206 USA Tel: +1 703 845 9671 Fax: +1 703 845 9679
Daryl Davidson, Executive Director, AUVSI Foundation davidson@auvsifoundation.org
48
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Š 2010 Northrop Grumman Corporation
Reduce the danger they face. Increase the danger they pose.
www.northropgrumman.com/ums
UNMANNED SYSTEMS There are no assets more valuable than warďŹ ghters. And there is no better way to both protect and enhance them than with Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems.
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Leverage the recognition of this Farnborough destination and increase traffic at your stand. Space is limited so book today! For more information call +1 703 845 9671 x221 or email marketing@auvsi.org
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4
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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www.zodiac.esco.com Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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AAI: TAKING UNMANNED INNOVATION TO THE SEA.
LEVERAGING UNMANNED SYSTEMS COMMAND AND CONTROL EXPERTISE AAI is a proven unmanned systems designer and integrator. Our unmanned command and control technologies are put to the test every day by the U.S. Marine Corps and Army through the Shadow® Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System program. Today, AAI is taking that success to the sea by uniting our mature common command and control architecture with unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Our multi-payload, mission-flexible USV design is capable of hosting a variety of payloads to provide force protection and projection for naval operations. To learn more, call 800-655-2616 or e-mail AAIREG@aaicorp.com
aaicorp.com © 2009 AAI Corporation. All rights reserved. AAI is an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. AAI and Shadow are registered trademarks of AAI Corporation. Ship and inset photos courtesy U.S. Navy.
Reduce the danger warfighters face. Increase the danger they pose. www.northropgrumman.com/ums UNMANNED SYSTEMS There are no assets more valuable than warfighters. And there is no better way to both protect and enhance them than with Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems. We have the resident expertise to build common mission planning and operating Š2009 Northrop Grumman Corporation
architectures to link and network our multiple Unmanned Systems platforms — in the air, on land, and at sea.
Communications Alysa Reich Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International 2700 South Quincy Street, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22206 USA Phone: +1 703 845 9671 Fax: +1 703 845 9679 E-mail: info@auvsi.org URL: www.auvsi.org Association Officers
Communicating Effectively Via Social Media
John Lambert President Larry Felder Executive Vice President John Lademan First Vice President Joe Brannan Treasurer Dennis Majkowski Past President Board of Directors 2009 - 2012 Ralph Alderson Peter Bale Michelle Kalphat Chris Mailey Chad Partridge Dave Seagle 2008 - 2011 David Anderson Steve Koepenick Rob Cornick James Overholt Dennis Sorensen Lora Weiss 2007 - 2010 Christopher Egan Helen Greiner David Place Tim Heely Bob Palmer Peter Smith AUVSI Affiliates KC Wong Chairman of the Board AUVS-Australia Unmanned Systems Brett Davis Publisher Unmanned Systems (P0000-0097) is published twelve times a year as the official publication of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International 2008 by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, 2700 South Quincy Street, Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22206 USA. Contents of the articles are the sole opinions of the authors and do not necessarily express the policies or opinion of the publisher, editor, AUVSI, or any entity of the U.S. government. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Authors are responsible for assuring that the articles are properly released for classification and proprietary information. All advertising will be subject to publisher’s approval and advertisers will agree to indemnify and relieve publisher of loss or claims resulting from advertising contents. Annual subscription and back issue/reprint requests may be addressed to AUVSI. Unmanned Systems is provided with AUVSI membership. Application to mail at Periodical Postage rates is Pending at Arlington, VA and Additional Mailing Offices. Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International 2700 South Quincy Street, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22206 USA POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Unmanned Systems 2700 South Quincy Street, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22206 USA
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W
hether you are neck deep into it or just about to dip a toe in to test the waters, social media is somewhere we should all be swimming these days. Even though I’m familiar with, and active on, a number of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and recently, AUVSI’s Online Community, I still occasionally find myself overwhelmed and struggle to manage my time and commitment to each one. However, I also have found that the time I spend is worth the effort. Balancing professional priorities and incorporating involvement with social media outlets is a challenge for everyone, and the list of opportunities to connect is endlessly growing. So why should you get involved with AUVSI’s Online Community? I like to think of social media outlets like a set of golf clubs; you could play a round of golf with the same club, but having different clubs will give you a broader range of advantages and you’ll ultimately play a better game. AUVSI’s Online Community hones in on a specific area of interest and creates an online home for professionals, students and even hobbyists seeking to interact and learn from others with unmanned systems knowledge and expertise. So are you ready to dive in to the world of social media and AUVSI’s Online Community? Here are five reasons to get involved with AUVSI’s Online Community: 1) This is a fast paced industry. If you blink you might miss the latest technological breakthrough or business opportunity. AUVSI’s Online Community can be the moment-to-moment resource that gives you the competitive advantage you’ve been looking for. 2) Create awareness. Get your message out, get exposure for yourself, your business or your issues. 3) Make a name for yourself. Whether you pose questions or respond to them when you post online, you can get exposure for your name while also
providing a service to other community members and making yourself known as a reliable source. 4) Quality vs. Quantity. AUVSI’s Online Community gives you both with unprecedented access to the largest combined audience of unmanned systems professionals in the world. Quickly communicate, collaborate and get feedback from your peers. 5) You are curious. Most of us want to see what others are doing, hear others’ opinions or “lurk” and listen in on conversations about topics we’re interested in. Log on to see what people are talking about, and jump in with your own input when the topic turns to your area of expertise. Not sold yet? Here are a few tips that may help you find your own balance while navigating the crowded waters of social media: s -AINTAIN &OCUS (AVE A SPECIlC REASON FOR GETting involved with a social media outlet and stick with it. s #HOOSE hDIGESTv VERSIONS OR SELECT TO RECEIVE updates only once a day providing you with new posts to your social networking sites. Unless you really need to know what’s going on every second, in which case, keep the info coming and focus on sorting quickly through those subject lines. s 3OCIAL MEDIA IS A GIVE AND TAKE x DON T JUST TAKE You don’t have to be active in all social media outlets that you subscribe to, but if you see an area where you can help others and provide feedback you can keep a good thing going. Social networking is only as good as the participants. Sharing your expertise will keep things relevant for others and will keep others with relevant information connected to you. You never know when you’ll need your online community. Whether you’re already drowning in social media or you’re considering taking first steps, I hope this helps you. And next time you log in to AUVSI’s Online Community, please be sure to add me as A CONTACT
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
9
Editor’s Note Brett Davis
Stronger, Faster, Better Unmanned Systems
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e can rebuild him. We can make him stronger, faster. xv &OR THOSE WHO REMEMBER THE OLD 46 SHOW h4HE Six Million Dollar Man,” those words describe efforts to merge astronaut Steve Austin with high-powered “bionic” limbs. For the unmanned systems industry, they describe the work that’s being done every day to improve robotic systems across the board. Beginning on Page 16, for example, we take a look at efforts to make unmanned systems quieter, whether they be in the air or underwater. Stealth is one of the key aspects of many unmanned systems, but it can be undermined when the vehicle in question sounds like a lawn mower. (Noise can be useful, however. In Iraq, the military sometimes flies small UAVs relatively close to the ground even though they can easily be heard by insurgents; it keeps the insurgents from trying anything). In general, though, quieter is better, particularly for extended surveillance and for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) that are trying to go undetected. Writer Gaea Honeycutt takes a look at noise mitigation efforts at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, which is seeking to tamp down the noise in the propulsion systems for small unmanned aircraft. The story also includes some surprises, such as how mimicking the shape of a fish can keep UUVs off the radar screens of the enemy. On Page 26, writer Magnus Bennett takes a look at FLAVIIR, (Flapless Air Vehicle Integrated Industry Research), which aims to create a simple, low-cost air vehicle that does away with flaps and rudders, an attribute that also makes it stealthier. The project is leading to test flights of the Demon vehicle, built by BAE Systems and Cranfield University (both of whom get style points for the name, too). As the work involves 10 British universities and funding from both the government and BAE Systems, it’s a sure bet we’ll be seeing more results from this effort in the future. While military training has incorporated simulation into the mix— young soldiers are used to playing videogames—sometimes there’s no substitute for the real thing. In the past, shooting at ranges involved pop-up wooden targets that didn’t quite look like the real thing. A company in Australia has improved on this by using Segways, those gravity-defying two-wheeled wonders, as the base for range robots that are more agile than ever. They run; they scatter when the
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firing starts; they limp along if you don’t get a clean shot. They can even signal warnings to their robotic “buddies.” This use is probably not what Segway inventor (and robotics enthusiast) Dean Kamen had in mind, but it’s something that’s improving the training of the Australian Defence Force and may be used by the U.S. Marine Corps as well. That story, by writer David Walsh, starts on Page 29. Speaking of robots, they are also making progress in other areas aside from being shot at. Beginning on Page 38, Unmanned Systems Associate Editor Danielle Lucey looks at their use in medicine, particularly in “telemedicine,” where robots can allow doctors to maintain a virtual presence in far-flung hospitals. While human communication can often be very comforting to patients, sometimes it takes a robot to help provide it. Promoting the use and acceptance of robotics is a key goal of AUVSI and many of our corporate members. Beginning on Page 41, I take a look at two new efforts to make developing robotics technology easier. Both offer four-wheeled kit platforms, but one is small and aimed mainly at students and small companies seeking to enter the market and the other is large (as in, Ford SUV-sized large) and is aimed at promoting the acceptance of unmanned vehicles by government and commercial users.
Coming Up Getting back to the Six Million Dollar Man (and he would be considerably more expensive these days), in upcoming issues we’ll take a look at technologies that bridge the gap between living creatures and machines. In the March issue we’ll feature research on cyborgs (“cybernetic organisms”), although initial prototypes are bionic bugs, such as DARPA’s remote-controlled beetle. In later issues we’ll take a look at biologically based systems—as with the robotic tuna mentioned above, sometimes nature provides the best template—and at the use of robotics for assisted living, which includes new “cyber suits” that give their wearers extra strength. Like the bionic man, the unmanned systems industry moves fast. We’ll do our best to keep pace. And, beginning with this issue, we’ll have a little more room to do it. Each regular issue of Unmanned Systems will be 52 pages, up from 2009’s 48.
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
11
NOISE MITIGATION, P. 16
NEWS BRIEFS Army Study Reveals Strength of Manned/Unmanned Mix Teaming manned and unmanned assets makes performing tasks faster and more accurate than using them alone, says a forthcoming U.S. Army UAS Center of Excellence study. “We believe that the human will always be in the loop,� said Fort Rucker’s Col. Christopher Carlile, speaking at a press conference in January at an Army aviation conference. He said the Army’s vision is to always have soldiers deployed in the vicinity of unmanned systems in war zones.
tems could have aided ďŹ rst responders in ďŹ ghting wildďŹ res in California, is now available. The report is posted at www.auvsi.org/ TTX2009 (for our members only). In the TTX, about 50 participants were given a “toolboxâ€? of unmanned systems of various sizes and brainstormed about what difference they could have made (for more on the TTX, see the November 2009 issue of Unmanned Systems). The ďŹ nal report notes that several “highlevel takeawaysâ€? resulted from the exercise, including:
“When you let the synergy and equipment DO WHAT IT DOES BEST x AND YOU LET HUMANS DO WHAT THEY DO x THE TWO COME TOGETHER very sweetly,� he continued.
s 3MALL 5!3 WERE VALUABLE RESOURCES AT THE division level, providing “quick, tactical feedback to boots-on-ground ďŹ re ďŹ ghting technicians.â€?
The research was done at Fort Rucker’s Air Maneuver Lab, and though Carlile could not disclose which types of systems were used in the study, he said that both the manned and unmanned assets—a collaboration that Carlile terms “manned/unmanned mix�—were used in attack and reconnaissance roles.
s !LTHOUGH THE EXERCISE ASSUMED THAT &EDeral Aviation Administration (FAA) CertiďŹ cates of Authorization were not an issue, the audience still discussed the COA issue and “pursuit of a solution for access to national air space provided a vigorous discussion and many ideas for future exploration.â€?
“Would we gain any synergy or added capability by having a manned/unmanned mix?â€? in the same unit, said Carlile, outlining the study’s aim. “And the answer was unequivocally yes.â€? The research, done at the brigade level, also revealed that unmanned systems outperformed manned assets in certain areas, such as endurance. “Up front, many people saw UAS as being model airplanes with some sensors hanging on them and a bunch of guys ying around with play toys, and I think that was used against the Army,â€? said Carlile of the systems’ initial acceptance. “Over a period of four years, we had not settled on just having toys; we knew we needed more eyes on the tactical level.â€?
For 2010, AUVSI is evaluating several options for continuing the public safety TTX series. Several other markets have been identiďŹ ed as potential case studies for analysis, including law enforcement, environmental monitoring and port security. AUVSI is also preparing several events to be announced later this spring that will continue building on the ďŹ re ďŹ ghting TTX.
in terms of military technology; they are underappreciated and highly valuable,� McKeon says. “I’m excited about providing this new UAV Caucus Web site as a resource for industry partners, government agencies, congressional staff, members of the Caucus—and Congress as a whole. It is also my hope that through this online avenue, we will be able to directly connect with the civilian aviation community on UAV use and safety.�
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Caucus mission statement calls for lawmakers to:
FireďŹ ghting Table-Top Exercise Final Report now Available
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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For more information on UAVs and a list of Caucus members, visit the Web site at http:// uav.mckeon.house.gov/.
Fort Rucker plans on making the details of the study public in spring 2010.
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Rep. McKeon Announces Launch of New UAV Caucus Web Site
Rep. Howard P. “Buck� McKeon, a Republican from California, in December unveiled a new Web site for the U.S. Congressional Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) s &UTURE )NCIDENT #OMMAND !IR /PERATIONS Caucus, which will serve as a source of inforwill most likely require a dedicated UAS op- mation for members of Congress, stakeholderations manager. ers and the public on the value of unmanned s &ORMAL TRAINING TO MAKE THE MOST OF UN- aircraft and news surrounding their use and manned technologies and capabilities will be development. needed. “Unmanned aerial vehicles are hidden gems
“Today what we’ve found is that novelty has worn off a long time ago,� he continued.
The ďŹ nal report from AUVSI’s Unmanned Technologies Table-Top Exercise 2009, where participants considered how unmanned sys-
These events will incorporate live-ďŹ re demonstrations, airspace integration activities and other challenges that are identiďŹ ed in the ďŹ nal report. There is still signiďŹ cant work to be done to validate the potential application of unmanned systems to wildland ďŹ re-ďŹ ghting operations. AUVSI will dive deeper into the metrics for evaluating the value, the business cases for offering the services and the training requirements necessary to integrate these systems.
s !CKNOWLEDGE THE OVERWHELMING VALUE OF UAVs to the defense, intelligence, homeland security and the scientiďŹ c communities %JTDVTTJOH UIF XJMEĂĽSFT OFBS #JH 4VS $BMJG
s 2ECOGNIZE THE URGENT NEED TO RAPIDLY DEvelop and deploy more UAVs in support of Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
NEWS BRIEFS ongoing operations
develop small unmanned aircraft and s 7ORK WITH THE MILITARY INDUSTRY .!3! control systems. the Department of Homeland Security, the FAA and other stakeholders to seek fair and equitable solutions to challenges created by UAV operations in the U.S. National Air- ASTM Tapped space System (NAS) for Small UAS s 3UPPORT OUR WORLD CLASS INDUSTRIAL BASE THAT engineers, develops, manufactures and tests UAVs, creating thousands of American jobs
Standards Work by FAA
The FAA has selected s 3UPPORT POLICIES AND BUDGETS THAT PROMOTE ASTM International a larger, more robust national security UAV as one of the organicapability. zations that will develop standards for small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) to support new regulations for ying in the NaKorea Promises to Transfer tional Airspace System (NAS). UAS Technology to
United Arab Emirates Korea has promised to transfer technology for its Night Intruder 300 unmanned aircraft to the United Arab Emirates in the wake of its successful bid to build four nuclear reactors in the UAE, according to the Korea Times. The newspaper says Defense Minister Kim Tae-young made the commitment during a November visit to the UAE. The Night Intruder 300 was built by Korea Aerospace Industries between 2001 and 2004 for the Korean army. Korea is also considering selling the vehicle—also known as the RQ-101—to Libya. However, either export could be problematic for South Korea’s relationship with Israel, as the system’s ground control station was developed with assistance from Israel Aerospace Industries. This would not be the ďŹ rst UAV cooperation between UAE and South Korea; in 2005, the UAE military signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea’s Uconsystem to
The work will be done in ASTM Committee F38 on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, where members will work “hand in handâ€? with the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft OfďŹ ce, ASTM says. In 2009, FAA said it would create a Special Federal Aviation Regulation designed to allow SUAS to y in parts of the NAS, mainly for commercial purposes. “The current process requires that requests to operate UAS in the national airspace be reviewed on a case-by-case basis through either a certiďŹ cate of waiver or authorization or special airworthiness certiďŹ cate, experimental category process. However, due to the nature of these processes and the temporary authorizations that result, neither could support the routine access of UAS to the national airspace,â€? ASTM says. “ASTM International is proud to support the FAA in this groundbreaking effort to open up a new and signiďŹ cant market for the future of aviation in the United States as well as the rest of the world,â€? says Katharine Morgan, vice president of ASTM Technical Committee Operations. “We know of numerous government agencies as well as private sector companies that are looking forward to the day when they can take advantage of the capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems to save lives, conduct research and grow the economy.â€?
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hold a meeting in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 17–18, 2010. For more information on this meeting and F38, visit the F38 home page at www.astm.org/uav.htm.
LEMV Program Prepares to Fly The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) say they have gotten the green light to seek bids for the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) airship. The technology demonstration program calls for building a LEMV airship, integrating payloads and related systems, and supporting it for ďŹ ve years. “The schedule requires performance testing within 18 months followed by additional test and demonstration conducted in Afghanistan over the remaining OTA [Other Transaction Agreement] term,â€? says a notice posted to FedBizOpps. The Army is seeking a vehicle capable of ying for three weeks at 20,000 feet above mean sea level while carrying a 2,500-pound payload and providing it 16 kilowatts of power. “The LEMV will be utilized to provide persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) support in multiple environments, including combat areas,â€? Army budget documents say. The request for proposals was due to be released at the end of January. Several companies are expected to bid for the work as part of a consortium formed in 2009. Unmanned Systems — February 2010
13
UAS IN CANADA, P. 20
COMPANY NEWS/NEW PRODUCTS NIST Taps CyPhy Works for Infrastructure Inspection Using UAS
on small, unmanned, hovering robots ďŹ tted with video cameras and other sensors. The proposed UAS would slowly move along the sides or undersides of bridges and similar structures while relaying close-up, high-ďŹ delity images and other data to engineers for robotic assisted inspection (RAI).
CyPhy Works, the new company established by iRobot co-founder Helen Greiner, is among 20 companies to receive funding under the National Institute Because the robots could work withof Standards and Technoloout the need to shut down bridge lanes gy’s Technology Innovation *3PCPU DPGPVOEFS )FMFO (SFJOFS T OFX or to rig safety harnesses and other DPNQBOZ $Z1IZ8PSLT JT POF PG Program (TIP). equipment for human inspectors, DPNQBOJFT SFDFJWJOH B /*45 5*1 HSBOU
The Framingham, Mass.based company will develop the technologies required to create small, hovering unmanned aircraft for inspecting and monitoring largescale civil infrastructure elements such as bridges and dams. The award from NIST will total $2.4 million over the next three years to support direct project costs, Greiner says. “Robots have the potential to revolutionize many industries� says Greiner, the CEO of the new company. “This award is indication of the commercial potential of CyPhy Works’ existing technologies. It will allow us to develop the additional technologies required for civil infrastructure inspection.� The TIP awards are aimed at developing technology and materials for modernizing infrastructure and totaled $71 million. CyPhy Works is the only award explicitly based on unmanned systems technology. “President Obama is leading an effort to drive economic growth and solve national problems by deploying a 21st-century economy,� says U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary Dennis Hightower. “These new projects will develop new technology and material that will play a critical role in modernizing infrastructure and developing the manufacturing sector across the country.�
they would greatly increase both the speed and safety of bridge and dam inspections, the company says. For particularly critical or at-risk structures, inspectors could use a more advanced technology—autonomous robotic monitoring (ARM)—where one or more dedicated inspection robots would be stationed at the structure and make periodic ights to detect potentially dangerous changes.
future research initiatives. OutďŹ tted with the OceanServer’s new dualport camera system, the Iver2 will perform reef mapping around the Lihou Reef in the Coral Sea in addition to monitoring other reefs’ coral bleaching and crown-of-thorns starďŹ sh populations, which feed on coral reef polyps. In addition to coral work, Australian Marine Ecology, one of the most active scientiďŹ c teams in southern Australia, says that it will use the AUV to map out new marine protected areas and examine seabed infrastructure. Australian Marine Ecology averages 100 personnel days at sea each year. The Iver2 is equipped with OceanServer’s VectorMap Mission Planning and Data Presentational tool, which exports geo-registered data ďŹ les, including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Electronic Navigational Charts, to software analysis tools. The AUV costs around $50,000.
“Both approaches will require major advances in the current state of the art of small UAVs to allow them to y and hover safely in potentially gusty winds for long periods with precise positioning,â€? CyPhy Works says.
Lockheed Martin Announces New Mission Systems and Sensors Business
OceanServer Sells Iver2 AUV to Australian Research Company
Lockheed Martin Corp. announced in early January that it was starting a new Mission Systems and Sensors business area within its Electronic Systems Business Area.
Fall River, Mass.-based OceanServer Technology recently announced that Australian Marine Ecology Pty Ltd. has purchased an Iver2 autonomous underwater vehicle from the company that will be used in a range of
The business, which will be known as MS2, was formed out of a realignment of Lockheed’s Maritime Systems and Sensors and its Systems Integration-Owego. The two businesses ofďŹ cially combined on 1 Jan. As 0DFBO4FSWFS T "67 UIF *WFS
A number of research efforts are under way to develop “smartâ€? sensor technologies to improve the monitoring of large, critical structures like bridges and dams, but few offer signiďŹ cant improvement over the current state of the practice that relies on visual inspection, CyPhy Works says. The company, working with the Georgia Institute of Technology Research Corp., is attempting to develop a novel and potentially revolutionary inspection system based
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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COMPANY NEWS/NEW PRODUCTS a result, 1,200 positions in the United States will dissolve and affected employees will be notiďŹ ed in April. “The new MS2 reects our goal to drive performance excellence with a keen focus on affordability in everything we do,â€? says Or-PDLIFFE .BSUJO T +PJOU -JHIU 5BDUJDBM 7FIJDMFT BSF OPX BMJHOFE VOEFS JUT .JTTJMFT BOE 'JSF $POUSPM CVTJOFTT
renewable energy efforts that were under way across both the former Systems IntegrationOwego and MS2 businesses including solar, wave and ocean thermal initiatives.
nel, redundant ight control system, which uses inertial measurements augmented with GPS for translational position and velocity readings.
“This new structure, under these leaders, will position our business for growth while demonstrating our enhanced value proposition for our customers,� says Carvalho.
Test results on the Israeli company’s AirMule, which has a Turbomeca Arriel1 730-horsepower turboshaft engine, conďŹ rmed Urban Aeronautics’ predictions regarding the power required to hover. In the AirMule’s current conďŹ guration, which has two main lift rotors with hydraulic pitch change mechanisms, allows for a hover height of approximately two feet (0.6 meters), which is just outside of ground effect. The AirMule’s vane control system can generate in excess of two radiants per squared second of roll acceleration. All of this equals one thing, says Urban Aeronautics: high precision hovering, even in gusty winds. Recent hover tests had the AirMule hovering in 59 knots of wind.
Lockheed also announced that its ground vehicles line that was under the former Systems IntegrationOwego, which included the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program, was realigned under Lockheed’s Missiles and Fire Control business, which puts JLTV and ground vehicles associated with the U.S. Army and Marine Corps missile launcher programs under one roof.
lando P. Carvalho, president of MS2. “We recognize the challenges our customers face and are making every effort to improve efďŹ ciencies that enable unparalleled service at the right price.â€? Under the MS2 business, there will be ďŹ ve lines of business. Its Undersea Systems division will expand to include the Command and Control and Communications Networking Systems elements of the former Tactical Systems business. Lockheed Martin UKIntegrated Systems will be included under MS2. Surface Sea-based Missile Defense Systems and Radar Systems will stay structurally the same. New Ventures will be expanded to include medical; cargo security; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives sensor systems; optical communications; and fuel cells from the former Integrated Defense Te c h n o l o g i e s business line. New Venture will also include Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Urban Aeronautics Finishes First Phase Flight Testing of AirMule Urban Aeronautics’ single-engine, vertical takeoff and landing cargo and MedEvac AirMule (formerly the MULE) UAS completed its ďŹ rst phase of testing last month, displaying autonomous hovers via the vehicle’s yby-wire control system. The vehicle can pitch, roll and yaw through this control system, and general control is accomplished through company’s four-chan-
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The next phase of the AirMule’s tests will include vehicle position stabilization in X, Y and height above ground maneuvers. This phase will not feature the safety wires used in the ďŹ rst phase.
Army Trims BCTM Further What remains of the U.S. Army’s former Future Combat Systems is getting smaller, as the service plans to remove two unmanned ground vehicles and one air vehicle from the program. The Brigade Combat Team Modernization (BCTM) program, as FCS is now known, is removing two variants of Lockheed Martin’s Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) vehicle, one devoted to transport, one to ďŹ ghting mines. The program is also removing the Class IV UAV, a role ďŹ lled by Northrop Grumman’s Fire Scout unmanned helicopter. The move came as the Army prepared its ďŹ scal 2011 budget. Lockheed Martin says the cuts won’t make a large difference. “The termination order does not affect, and work continues on, the Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV) variant of the MULE, which accounts for approximately 90 percent of [the] total anticipated MULE production program,â€? a company statement says. Fire Scout is already in production for the U.S. Navy. Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NATIONAL ROBOTICS WEEK — 10–18 APRIL 2010
1UIET 0LEASE Researchers Tone Down Unmanned Systems Noise By Gaea Honeycutt rom air to ground to water, unmanned vehicles have forever changed the rules of military engagement, reducing the risk to soldiers. But there are some drawbacks, including the unmistakable noise signatures of airborne and aquatic vehicles.
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Now the enemy has learned that a lawnmower sound overhead means a UAS is lurking, and the rotors of UUVs are not difďŹ cult for ships to detect. The industry has followed the same path for decades — combustion engine, propeller-based systems constructed out of durable but sound-magnifying materials. Does that mean we have to go back to drawing board? Some may say yes, while others may look to improve current methods of production. Both sides may end up arriving at workable solutions.
The Perfection of Nature Boston Engineering has developed Ghostswimmer, an innovating underwater robot modeled on a tuna (the company exhibited the robo-ďŹ sh at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2009). It’s capable of performing ďŹ gure eights and making 360-degree turns, much like a real ďŹ sh. What on the surface seems like a new bath toy for toddlers is only the beginning of innovation in underwater unmanned vehicle system design. Mike Rufo, Boston Engineering’s principal engineer/roboticist and leader of the Advanced Systems Group, heads the Ghostswimmer program, which is funded by the OfďŹ ce of Naval Research.
ofďŹ cer of Boston Engineering. Rotors have been completely removed from the equation, with Ghostswimmer propelled by a tail foil motion. The robotic ďŹ sh moves like an organic tuna, making it difďŹ cult to detect with sonar. “Today, all the UUVs look like torpedoes,â€? Smithers says. “Everyone around the world looks for that signature.â€? The tail foil also allows exible motion around obstacles in the water. Where a torpedo might have to circle an object in a blocky manner, Ghostswimmer can swerve, circle and maneuver efďŹ ciently. Barrett sees the oceans as undiscovered country and the potential for UUV applications as endless, creating a long-term presence in the ocean, and he views biometric design as the future of robotic engineering. “Over the years, nature has evolved into beautifully
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“They wanted something a little less detectable that had more maneuverability,â€? Rufo explains in a company video posted on YouTube. Ghostswimmer is based on the research of David Barrett, a professor at Olin College, in Needham, Mass., which has partnered with Boston Engineering on the project. Barrett wrote his 1996 dissertation about Grey’s Paradox—theoretically, ďŹ sh shouldn’t be able to swim as fast as they do—and robotics. He decided to explore Grey’s Paradox by recreating some part of the tuna’s performance with an unmanned system. Experiments with prototypes showed dramatic improvements in efďŹ ciency. “We had performance that far surpassed any other propeller craft,â€? he says. Basing their work on that research 15 years ago, the team developed the yellow prototype in just six months. “We used the latest technology to make it autonomous,â€? says Mark Smithers, vice president and chief operating
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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designed systems,� he says. “The engineering is extraordinary.�
accomplish this, the team must ďŹ nd substitutes for the propeller and piston engine, which presents new challenges as substitute systems introduce new noise and acoustic signatures.
Propelling Design Forward
Over the past year, Gaeta and Gray have spent most of their time adjusting testing methods and facilities designed for traditional aircraft testing to suit UAS testing. The ight simulation facility is a unique chamber with a 29-inch air duct that can simulate forward-ight velocities while also allowing precise acoustic measurements.
Aircraft make distinctive noise which can affect the ability to use unmanned aircraft in surveillance and reconnaissance at lower altitudes—sometimes the targets of surveillance just wait until the aircraft leave. UAS generally aren’t designed with acoustics in mind. Senior research engineers Rick Gaeta, Gary Gray and Kevin Massey at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are focused on altering designs to reduce the acoustic signature. “People are becoming more aware that acoustics are integral to the design process,� Gaeta says. Given that research hasn’t focused on propellers for the better part of a century, the team has its work cut out for it. “The UAV explosion has brought a focus back onto them. People are getting back to papers from the ’20s and ’30s to look at what has been done,� he says. Working with the U.S. Department of Defense, GTRI is working to identify the sources of noises in UAS, their spectral characteristics and how they interact. The primary research has involved isolating the UAS propulsion system to determine how much noise comes from the engine’s exhaust as opposed to the propeller. To
Gaeta’s team built a special dynamometer capable of driving a small UAS engine and a propeller that allows them to test both the engine and acoustic performance. Using the engine dynamometer provides data for the design tradeoffs. Also, they’ve worked on coordinating those testing methods with yover measurements in the ďŹ eld, where they’ve taken the acoustic measurements of UAVs as sound altered by environmental effects reaches the ground. “We do have a program in place where we’re trying to benchmark codes to predict the acoustic performance of propellers,â€? Gaeta says. He only sees growth for acoustically focused design as domestic applications increase. “The more we y into the air where noise becomes an annoyance or problem, the more it’s going to grow as a problem.â€? Companies who include acoustics in the design process will have a signiďŹ cant advantage, he says.
Magnetic Silence One way to reduce noise is altering materials. Joe Natally, manager of Boeing’s Advanced Maritime Unmanned Airborne Systems unit, leads a study of magnetic noise funded by the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD). Boeing/Insitu’s MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) UAS is designed to locate, track and attack submarines. To be effective, the MECC must be magnetically quiet to identify the magnetic signal of its target. Similar to the approach used measure acoustic noise reduction, the quieting process involves using materials that don’t have a magnetic signal. “For instance, you’d want to avoid iron, so you might use aluminum,â€? Natally says. “So, ďŹ rst, it’s designed and tested using low magnetic materials.â€? Boeing
expects
the
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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NOISE‌ CONTINUED MECC to be used with manned P-8A Poseidon aircraft as they conduct missions from high altitudes. It has folding wings and control surfaces, so it can be launched from an airplane. “If a P-8A gets a bead on a submarine, the machine would launch a MECC and get a detection of the submarine with GPS accuracy,â€? Natally says. The P-8A could then launch a torpedo if cleared. Potentially, two or three submarines could be tracked in a wide area at once from a high altitude, as far as the signal carries through line of sight or over the horizon. The MECC is expected to have a ight duration of approximately 10–12 hours as Boeing begins testing in 2010.
Powering Silence Gaeta says there are other ways to reduce noise. For example, reducing the power required. Massachusetts-based Protonex, a leading provider of advanced fuel cell power systems for portable, remote and mobile applications in the 10- to 1,000-watt range, takes the power approach. While similar companies are focused on cars and computers, Protonex works on other commercial industries and military applications, such as UAS, where the hydrogen is readily available. “We can y between three and seven times the duration for a given weight,â€? says Scott Osernard, chief technical ofďŹ cer. That gives small aircraft the silence of electric engines but the endurance of
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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gasoline ones. Typically, the company looks at applications where engine systems are too loud, inefďŹ cient or a combination of the two. “When we work with someone, we ask, ‘How much energy can we store for a given weight?’â€? Osernard says. The company’s hydrogen-powered electric system was recently ďŹ eld tested in the Naval Research Laboratory’s Ion Tiger in December 2009, resulting in a 26-hour ight, an increase of approximately 12 percent ight time over already impressive October tests. “If you were to y that, it would be three to four hours on batteries [versus] 26 hours on fuel cells,â€? he says. He sees the next wave of applications, from reconnaissance to border surveillance, as requiring persistence sources of energy, and a quiet one wouldn’t hurt. “In some ways, we’re just scratching the service in what these technologies can do,â€? Osernard says.
Gaea Honeycutt is president of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting LLC and a freelance writer.
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Unmanned Systems Offer Appealing Solutions for the Canadian Forces By Jerry Langton t’s been a year of profound change in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry. Not only have the Canadian Forces added two new UAVs to its inventory, but there is still a promise for more as the JUSTAS (Joint Unmanned Surveillance Target Acquisition System) program continues to evolve.
I
Much of the excitement when it comes to UAVs from a Canadian perspective is because of the ScanEagle. The CF acquired ScanEagles through a one-year lease deal worth up to $30 million. They went into service with the Forces in Afghanistan in June. Developed by Boeing and its wholly owned subsidiary—Bingen, Washington-based Insitu—the ScanEagle is a small unmanned aerial vehicle. With a wingspan of a little more than 10 feet (three meters) and a weight of just 29 pounds (13 kilograms) empty, it is extremely portable. And because it takes off from a catapult and can be taken from the air with a new innovation called the SkyHook, it doesn’t need runways.
‘Guardian Angel’ With the ScanEagle, the Forces really did their homework. Although
they didn’t have to go far to do it—it has been operating in Afghanistan and nearby Iraq since 2005. “The ScanEagle has put in over 200,000 hours in Iraq and Afghanistan with U.S. and allied air forces,â€? says Steve Nordlund, vice president of business development and program manager for Insitu. “It has the highest readiness rate of any aircraft operating with the Army in Afghanistan.â€? By acquiring a UAV that had been proven effective in the same theater of operations that it was already involved in, the Canadian Forces were getting something they knew could stand up to the rigors of service in Afghanistan. That wouldn’t be a given with other systems. The ScanEagle’s experience in Afghanistan also made bringing the product up to Canadian standards surprisingly easy. “It already met all of the Canadian requirements at the time of the tender,â€? says Nordlund. “It required no adaptations for Canadian service — it had already been serving in the same role in the same theater.â€? ScanEagle made headlines in U.S. Navy service in April after they were used successfully to provide reconnaissance in the rescue of Robert Phillips, captain of the MV Maersk Alabama, who was hijacked by Somali pirates. That ability to see what’s going on without being seen is the ScanEagle’s raison d’être. ‘It supplies high-quality real-time video,’ says Nordlund. “It keeps troops aware that they aren’t about to be ambushed.â€? Boeing and Insitu are also quick to point out ScanEagle has other, nonmilitary uses that the forces could also be interested in. “The ScanEagle has been used by NOAA [the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] to study seal migration,â€? says Nordlund. “And we’ve partnered with major oil companies to accomplish everything from following whale migration to measuring ice movement.â€? As impressive as the ScanEagle has been in the Iraq and Afghanistan ďŹ eld of operations, it is limited. Although it can stay aloft for up to 24 hours in a single sortie—far outlasting the humans who operate it—its
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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cruising speed is around 88 kilometers per hour, less than you’d drive on a freeway. While that gives it an effective mission radius of about 1,056 kilometers, it won’t go that far and come back, unless you follow it on the ground. That’s because the effective communications distance between the ScanEagle and its ground control station is limited to about 100 kilometers, limiting it to a relatively short-radius mission. While it is limited in scope, the ScanEagle has been remarkably successful in its intended role. “I couldn’t begin to count how many servicemen and women have told me that a ScanEagle has saved their lives,â€? says Nordlund. “One told me it was his guardian angel.â€? And it has been good to Canada. As part of the $30 million lease deal, Boeing and Insitu promised $61 million in opportunities for Canadian industries and universities. The ďŹ rst came in May when Boeing invested $25 million in a number of Canadian ďŹ rms.
Heron Improves on Sperwer But there are other jobs—farther distances, higher altitudes and heavier payloads—for which you need a bigger UAV. And the Canadian Forces acquired one this year in the IAI Heron. Announced last year, the Forces set up a competition called Noctua (Latin for owl) under which it would lease three medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs in a deal worth up to $95 million, with an extension option for an additional $35 million. While many expected them to select General Atomics’ Predator UAV, which ďŹ lls the same role for in-theater allies like the U.S. and U.K., General Atomics dropped out of the competition, leaving just IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) partnered with Richmond, B.C.-based MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) as the sole bidder. “We buy the aircraft from IAI, and then it’s our responsibility to put together the system itself,â€? says David Hargreaves, a vice-president within MDA’s information systems group. “It’s a good business deal for us; it’s highly strategic in two important areas. The ďŹ rst is for us to break into the UAV business. It complements what we do with satellite surveillance and other aircraft-surveillance capabilities.â€?
Heron has proven tough and durable. Because it was such a proven commodity, the Heron was operational in theater for the Canadian Forces just four months after the contract was announced. The Heron’s 115-horsepower engine allows it to cruise at 207 kilometers per hour (about 130 mph), at altitudes of more than 10,000 meters (33,000 feet). While empty Herons have own for more than 40 hours in a single sortie under IAI testing, a more realistic combat endurance for a fully loaded aircraft would be about 24 hours. Its faster cruising speed gives it more than twice the effective radius of the ScanEagle. Unlike the Sperwer (which was rail launched and recovered by a parachute and airbag system), the Heron requires an actual runway to take off and land, but those tasks are completely automated. In fact, in the case of a communication loss, the Heron can return to base and land autonomously. Communications between the aircraft and ground control in Canadian operations are by line-of-sight radio.
Hunter-Killer Reaper As effective as it has been, the Heron (CU-170 in Canadian Forces’ terminology) is considered an interim solution and is likely to remain in service until about 2014. It will be replaced by the winner of the Canadian Forces’ JUSTAS project. It’s a tough bill to ďŹ ll. JUSTAS requires that the winner must offer a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) aircraft. It has to have a 1,000 kilometer or higher operational radius, 40,000 foot operating altitude, IFR certiďŹ ed all-weather capabilities and have the option of carrying weapons. And it will need to communicate with its ground crew by satellite, allowing them to be safely outside of the theater. Not surprisingly, few existing aircraft can fulďŹ ll all those conditions. Well, one does. And it does so quite admirably. It is the next evolution of the General Atomics Predator, called the Predator-B or Reaper. It has a range of just less than 6,000 kilometers. It has a service ceiling of 50,000 feet. It has all-weather capabilities and quite prominently carries weapons.
But the Canadian Forces seem very pleased with the Heron, especially as opposed to the UAV it replaced, the French-built and littleloved SAGEM Sperwer (CU-161). “The Heron is probably a tenfold improvement from the Sperwer,â€? says Maj. Dan Boisvert, the ofďŹ cer commanding the Heron detachment in Khandahar. “It ies a lot longer and further, it ies at higher altitudes and is quieter.â€? And it’s much more reliable. In operational service with the Israelis since 2005, the
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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CANADA‌ CONTINUED survival capability—make it a natural choice.� 4QFSXFS XBT SFQMBDFE UISPVHI UIF /PDUVB QSPHSBN
And, as with the ScanEagle lease from Boeing, any deal for the Predator-B would include work for Canadians in the form of industrial beneďŹ ts. “General Dynamics Canada’s role is to provide Canadianization, any changes required for Canadian standards,â€? said Greenley. “As well as in-service support and maintenance.â€?
Indigenous Industry
In fact, the Reaper’s offensive capabilities have made worldwide headlines since they began ying combat missions in the summer of 2007. For the Canadian bid, San Diego-based General Atomics is partnered with General Dynamics Canada. “We looked at who had what UAV capability, and it was pretty easy to decide to team with General Atomics,â€? says Mike Greenley, vice president of business development and strategic planning for General Dynamics Canada. “The Predator-B has more missions and more users than anything comparable.â€? Not that there is all that much comparable. “What’s unique about the Predator-B is that it meets all of the JUSTAS requirements already—as it has for the past three years,â€? says Chris Ames, director of business development for General Atomics. “Our team could make it available today.â€? Since it’s a proven airframe that is also in use with many of Canada’s in-theater allies, Greenley says it has the advantage over any new UAVs in development (or the Heron). “It’s now a big part of the global supply chain, which makes it a lower risk for Canada,â€? he said. “It will have lower life-cycle costs and other interoperability beneďŹ ts.â€?
Arctic Sovereignty And it has signiďŹ cant post-Afghanistan Mission uses as well, especially as regards arctic sovereignty. “We did an exercise with the Canadian Forces with a Predator-B that took off from Goose Bay while being controlled from Ottawa,â€? says Ames. “It proved its maritime surveillance capabilities and operated for a signiďŹ cant period above 65 [degrees latitude].â€? Greenley points out that while there are other UAVs under development that ďŹ t the JUSTAS requirements, the fact that the Predator-B already does is signiďŹ cant. “It really depends on who comes forward, but the Predator-B is the only proven one that meets Canada’s needs,â€? he said. “Its range, capabilities, multimission aspects and ability to carry many different types of payloads—not to mention its persistent
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
And Canada is not without a UAV industry of its own. Meggitt Training Systems has had a successful year manufacturing target drones for a wide array of international customers. “Our biggest customers are from Japan, Germany, the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Sweden in about that order,â€? says Spencer Fraser, general manager of Meggitt Training Systems Canada. “Our business may not sound as sexy as some, but we’ve shipped close to 150 unmanned vehicle systems—land, sea and air—this year.â€? They support themselves through sales and also have 122 Canadian ďŹ rms who support them with subcomponents. And they have been instrumental with helping MDA bring the Heron to service. “We helped a lot with that and do all their maintenance, and I think it has been a huge success,â€? he said. “I’ve got three guys here in my ofďŹ ce who were the ďŹ rst Canadians to qualify as pilots for the MALE.â€? Meggitt is coming up with even more new products. “We have a helicopter target under development,â€? says Fraser. “We can simulate a helicopter, but there’s nothing like the real thing.â€? They are also working on a surface-skimming supersonic target drone to simulate a ground-to-sea missile. “And we’ll probably have two more international customers to announce soon,â€? he says. Things are going well at Meggitt, Fraser says, because they follow their core competencies and know their niche. “They’ll spend $2 billion on a new system and realize they have nothing to test it on,â€? he said. “That’s where we come in.â€? Things could be better for Meggitt, though. “We’re very, very busy, and we’re delighted by that,â€? says Fraser. “But we’d love to see more R&D in this country and more of a ‘buy Canadian’ attitude.â€? While Canada has invested heavily in non-Canadian-produced UAVs this year, the effects of these acquisitions are being felt in Canada through partners in the various UAV programs—as with IAI and MDA—or through direct investment—as with Boeing and Insitu providing industrial beneďŹ ts. And, as the lifecycle of the current crop of UAVs draws to a close, the search for UAV systems that will fulďŹ ll the JUSTAS requirement and even later projects, continues as the ever-evolving unmanned systems industry offers more and more capabilities.
Jerry Langton is a regular contributor to Canadian Defence Review magazine. This article is adapted from an article he wrote for CDR and is reprinted with permission. Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
A[[f _d JekY^ By John M. Doyle
ission demands—both military and civilian—continue to grow for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), ranging from clearing explosive mines to mapping the seaoor. But whether they skulk in the shallows of the littoral zone collecting intelligence or scan the oceans’ depths for water temperature and salinity data, unmanned submersibles are only as effective as their communications system.
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And one major challenge to UUV and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) communication is the very environment they operate in—the underwater world. Most vehicles must either surface or deploy an antenna above the water to report back to base via satellite link, radio frequency or other wireless communication. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) have a physical connection that makes communicating more reliable, but the linking tether is also a leash that limits how far the vehicles can roam. Autonomous vehicles can also communicate acoustically through the water. While acoustic communications systems have a range up to 20 kilometers, ambient noise—especially in shallow water—from echoes off the sea bottom, nearby maritime trafďŹ c or even other submersibles can clutter the area with sound, making acoustic communication difďŹ cult to discern. Communicating with an AUV can be a problem “depending on the ranges you need,â€? says Kevin McCarthy, vice president of marketing for Hydroid Inc., of Pocasset, Mass., which has delivered more than 200 underwater vehicle systems since 2002 to the U.S. Navy, commercial and academic customers. “We use underwater modems to communicate with our vehicles. In turn, the modems can communicate to a receiver on a buoy that can send a message via Iridium
Maritime Unmanned Vehicle Operators Seek Better Underwater Communication [satellite] so we have that ability to communicate widely.â€? Hydroid, which makes the REMUS series of AUVs, was acquired by Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime in 2008. BlueďŹ n Robotics, another AUV manufacturer based in Cambridge, Mass., uses acoustic communications underwater although the type of technology varies depending upon the size and mission of the vehicle. “So when we look at a particular customer’s needs, we have to weigh what is the application, and we might have several different sensors to choose from,â€? says Dani Goldberg, BlueďŹ n’s software manager. “For the smaller, nine-inch [diameter] vehicles, space is deďŹ nitely a constraint. You’re dealing overall with less power, with less space. You can’t put a huge telemetry system on it so you look at a smaller solution.â€? Radio communication underwater has been problematic for years. “The worst thing radio waves can go through is sea water,â€? says William Porter, a retired U.S. Navy submarine commander. “Because of its salt content, sea water quickly attenuates the signal.â€? But Porter, CEO of WFS Defense, believes his company has a solution to the communication problem. The Alexandria, Va.-based wireless communications and telemetry ďŹ rm has developed a concept based on a Cold War technology to make longer distance radio frequency communication underwater possible. As Porter explains it, normal radio waves are signiďŹ cantly shortened and compressed by a factor of 10 when they hit the water, but by updating the Very Low Frequency (VLF) technology used by submarines to communicate while submerged, WFS Defense’s electromagnetic system can operate radio frequency (RF) communication modems in adverse conditions such as mud, ice and turbidity. Ice reects sound causing “terrible reverberationsâ€? that are hard on acoustics, Porter says. The “through waterâ€? RF technology will allow underwater vehicles using the company’s SeaText and SeaTooth modems to communicate with submarines, divers, sensors and surface ships without having to surface or raise an antenna, he says. The low frequency communications also pass from water to air seamlessly, allowing a direct link between nodes underwater and on shore or in the air. “If somebody can get long-range underwater RF communication going, that would be tremendous,â€? says BlueďŹ n’s Goldberg. “That " ,POHTCFSH )VHJO 667 1IPUP CZ "674*
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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COMMUNICATION‌ CONTINUED
would be a hugely interesting technology to look at,â€? he adds, noting that some RF communications developers say they have only achieved a range less than 10 meters so far. WFS Defense’s Seatooth modem offers two-way water-penetrating, wireless RF communications at high data rates of 100 kbps for compressed video transmission for a distance of up to 10 meters and its Sentext system is designed for lower data rate communications up to 250 meters. Work is under way to increase range. The Navy’s 2004 Master Plan for UUVs says tactical needs “will require reliable highbandwidth communications over 10-100 miles.â€? In addition to defense and homeland security applications, the VLF technology offers advantages in energy and environmental underwater exploration and mapping, Porter says. WFS Defense is developing the RF technology with Norwegian AUV maker Kongsberg Maritime for use under Arctic ice in the energy sector on one of its HUGIN AUVs. Meanwhile, the company is also developing underwater communications with other manufacturers for AUV defense missions. Porter says his company, the U.S. afďŹ liate of British-based WFS Ltd., is also working on communications for smaller vehicles operating close to shore. That project will focus on data exchange between an underwater sensor and a UUV and the vehicle and a docking station. Experts say there’s usually a trade-off between distance and band-
width. Technology that can span the greatest distance, like satellite communication, usually has the lowest bandwidth. “Those two factors, distance and bandwidth, are basically inversely proportional,â€? says Goldberg. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead told a gathering on unmanned systems at the Brookings Institution last fall that “bandwidth for us is extraordinarily important.â€? But bandwidth isn’t the only issue. “It’s also an antenna problem,â€? Roughead said, adding that in talking about the challenges of unmanned systems at sea, “that we move forward aggressively in the world of antennas because, I think, that deďŹ nes to large degree how much information you can move.â€? The Navy’s Master Plan sees the underwater vehicles “as critical communication and navigation links between various platforms—at sea, on shore, even into the air and space realms. As with the other missions, they can be operated from a variety of platforms, at long standoff distances and for extended periods of time. A small vehicle can function as an information conduit between a subsea platform and an array, or it can clandestinely come to the surface and provide a discreet antenna. As an aid to navigation, UUVs can serve as stand-by buoys, positioning themselves at designated locations and popping to the surface to provide visual or other references for military maneuvers or other operations. UUVs can also provide the link between subsurface platforms and Global Positioning System (GPS) or other navigation system, without exposing the platform to unnecessary risk.â€?
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
" #MVFĂĽO 3PCPUJDT 667 1IPUP DPVSUFTZ #MVFĂĽO 3PCPUJDT
Several manufacturers, such as Teledyne Benthos and LinkQuest in the United States and Sonardyne in the United Kingdom, use a variety of acoustic underwater communications systems including modems, transponders and sonar. “We deďŹ nitely think [RF technology] its going to be signiďŹ cant, but we’re not trying to challenge the status quo systems,â€? says Porter, adding WSF Defense is trying to position itself “in areas where these other systems are having trouble working.â€?
The 2004 plan goes on to say that “investment and realistic testing ARE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT 556S CAN TRANSMIT 2& x DATA RELIABLY IN operational sea states. Real-time or near-real-time RF communications are needed for missions such as tactical ISR. RF communications from a UUV to a host platform presents a challenge due to limited mast height and poor stability while operating on or near the surface. Investment is needed in acoustic or other (e.g., laser) underwater communications technologies. Communications at useful data rates while maintaining vehicle speed and depth remain a challenge for both submarines and UUVs.� Optical or laser technology, while promising, is still in its developmental stages, both Porter and Goldberg say.
He also notes that the WSF Defense technology can be used for communications among multiple vehicles, such as sensors, AUVs, submarines or other vessels. “You’re going to have a lot of AUVs running around to these various sensors and then transfer the data from the sensor to the vehicle and, at the same time, the vehicle will provide a charge to the sensor,â€? Porter says. Goldberg notes that BlueďŹ n has operated multiple underwater vehicles coordinating with each other acoustically while in formation performing a mission. “We’ve demonstrated that actually a couple of years agoâ€? for an OfďŹ ce of Naval Research-backed program called Autonomous Operation Future Naval Capability (AOSNC), he says. Bringing multiple vehicles into the acoustic equation becomes “much more complex,â€? Goldberg says, “because they all have their own sensors potentially competing for bandwidth in the water, and then you have multiple vehicles transmitting and receiving on the same frequencies.â€? He thinks future unmanned underwater communication “may be deďŹ ned by the requirements people have and the trade-offs that are associated with the technology.â€? Goldberg says the technology is maturing more and more every year. “New technology is coming out there, new apps, new customer needs. Development proceeds along with that. Communications is just one aspect of this very interesting system and very interesting industry.â€? In the future, Porter thinks underwater communications will be advancing in three directions: defense and homeland security; the oil and gas industry; and environmental monitoring. “Think of this whole thing as a Venn diagram,â€? of intersecting sets, he says. “There are going to be many technologies that have to be pieced together to be able to occupy the entire spectrum of range, speed, depth and capability. So you’re not going to be able to ďŹ nd one system that’s going to be able to do all of it. It’s going to be an aggregation of systems.â€?
John M. Doyle is a defense and homeland security writer in Washington. He blogs at http://4gwar.wordpress.com.
8'4 %FGFOTF T 4FBUPPUI UISPVHI XBUFS CSPBECBOE EBUB MJOL TIPXO IFSF BU UIF 6OEFSTFB %FGFODF 5FDIOPMPHZ TIPX JO 'SBODF 1IPUP CZ "674* Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
25
EXHIBIT IN AUVSI’S UAV PAVILION AT THE FARNBOROUGH AIRSHOW IN JULY — WWW.AUVSI.ORG
Flying FLAVIIR: Consortium Investigates Technical Advances for Unmanned Aircraft By Magnus Bennett
A
major British research program is working on a range of technological advances for the next generation of unmanned aircraft systems.
The ÂŁ 6.2 million ($10.4 million USD) ďŹ ve-year program, known as FLAVIIR (Flapless Air Vehicle Integrated Industry Research), has been looking at new technologies for a maintenance-free, low-cost UAV which has no conventional control surfaces but can still match the performance of conventional craft. The project, which involves 10 British universities, is being funded jointly by British defense giant BAE Systems and a U.K. government funding agency, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The ďŹ nal major step of the research program will take place in the spring of 2010 with the ďŹ rst planned test ight of the Demon air vehicle, an 80-kilogram (176-pound), jet-powered UAS developed by engineers from project managers CranďŹ eld University and BAE Systems. Project organizers say the program has so far proven to be a success in a number of areas, and they are keen to put their work to the test when the Demon is demonstrated at an unspeciďŹ ed test range in the United Kingdom. The program leaders will be particularly interested in the outcome of their development of the thrust vectoring system and the circulation controls. " WJFX PG UIF Ă˝VJEJD UISVTU WFDUPSJOH OP[[MF PO UIF MBCPSBUPSZ UFTU TUBOE 5IF WJFX JT UBLFO GSPN UIF SFBS BOE UIF DZMJOESJDBM PCKFDU JO GSPOU PG UIF OP[[MF JT B TNBMM HBT UVSCJOF FOHJOF
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
Demon—which has a 2.7-meter (8.9-foot) wingspan and will have no conventional controls such as wing aps—will be own remotely by sophisticated software instead of a pilot. FLAVIIR program leaders had hoped to conduct the demonstration late last year but were forced to delay the test because of bad weather. Clyde Warsop, project manager for FLAVIIR based at BAE Systems’ Advanced Technology Center in Bristol, said he is pleased with the overall progress made since the project started ďŹ ve years ago. “We are now at the stage of ďŹ nishing up, although there is scope for more research to be done,â€? he tells Unmanned Systems. “During the ďŹ rst three years, we undertook fundamental research on technologies and a number of these we took to demonstration, ying as well as static stand-alone demonstrations.â€? Technical research during the program has been split into seven themed areas, including aerodynamics, control systems, electromagnetics, manufacturing, materials/structures, numerical simulation and integration.
Flow Control One area which has proven promising is a new means of ow control for improved maneuverability, stealth, robustness and simplicity. Manchester University in England focused its aerodynamics research on developing control by using blown air from a modiďŹ ed rounded wing trailing edge. Manchester has also looked at ways to deect the UAVs primary jet using thrust vectoring via secondary coanda jets. “The most successful areas where we completed successful demonstrations not only in the laboratory but also on ying vehicles include uidic ight controls, using uidic thrust vectoring instead of aps and rudders,â€? Warsop says.
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
“We’ve also had some success on some very low-cost composite manufacturing technologies,â€? he adds. That side of the research has largely been undertaken by CranďŹ eld University as part of a drive to look at reducing the cost of manufacturing, not only in the production process but in maintenance. That research involved studying new, low-cost reinforcement fabrics to determine the relationship between laminate properties, impregnation techniques and construction. The team there have also been developing dry fabric laminating, trans-laminar reinforcement, single-sided stitching and tufting. Meanwhile, Imperial College has been examining synthetic jets, or zero-mass jet actuators, to augment lift and control an air vehicle. To understand the fundamental principals in using such devices and explore how to use and design with them, Imperial College has been looking at computational modeling using large eddy simulation (LES). On control systems, Leicester University has focused on coordinated, integrated and distributed control, particularly coordinated dynamic programming methods for multiple UAVs. The university, along with Imperial College, is also researching new non-linear control methods involving large arrays of micro-sensors and micro-actuators. Meanwhile, three universities—Swansea, Nottingham and York— have been working on electromagnetics, looking at novel ways to reduce susceptibility to radio frequency threats and lightning strike. They’ve been developing a single predictive code for such threats,
while also looking at efďŹ cient ways to model small-scale electrical devices within a large scale environment. Warsop says work on electromagnetic technologies has thrown up some big challenges. “We have been successful in terms of developing modeling systems for electromagnetic technologies, but there are still many hurdles to be overcome there,â€? he says. Warwick University, on the other hand, has been researching new tooling techniques and processes to reduce costs and provide increased exibility. This is seen as being particularly important for low-volume production UAS and for systems which are expected to be heavily modiďŹ ed for different missions.
Collaboration is Key One of the key aspects of the whole project has been the stress on collaboration during the research phases of the FLAVIIR program. That emphasis was designed to ensure that each technology integrates and works together in a sensible fashion to meet the overall vehicle objectives. BAE Systems, whose wider strategy is to concentrate its funding on a few selected universities, has described the collaborative nature of the project as “different and exciting.â€? According to Warsop, that collaboration is “quite unique.â€? “At the beginning, getting multi-disciplinary collaboration between a large diverse group of universities is no easy task,â€? he says. “It is difďŹ cult to get people to understand each others’ language in their ďŹ elds and understand the possibilities. “But within the ďŹ rst year of this project, it all gelled together. We had groups of two or three universities working on a topic and then sharing information with other groups. The original fear was that universities would feel that other universities were treading on their toes. But these universities were selected so there wouldn’t be
"OPUIFS WJFX PG UIF UISVTU WFDUPSJOH OP[[MF UIJT UJNF JODMVEJOH UIF FOHJOF JOUBLF
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
27
FLAVIIR‌ CONTINUED any potential competition,â€? he says. Another key part of the program was building exibility into the research in order to boost innovation. A total of ÂŁ500,000 ($801,000 USD) was reserved for so-called “seedcornâ€? topics that were not considered at the outset. That contingency has led to promising research into wireless communication technologies within the airframe in order to remove a large number of cables from the UAV. The FLAVIIR program also collaborated with other U.K. research programs—in particular MSTTAR DARP (Modeling and Simulation of Turbulence and Transition for Aerospace, Defence Aerospace Research Partnership), which is looking at fundamental issues of turbulence and transition modeling and also Unsteady Aerodynamics
Prediction and Simulation for Airframe and Turbomachinery Applications (PUMA DARP), which is studying unsteady aerodynamics and aero-elastics. Links were also pursued with a number of other programs, including those funded by the U.K. Ministry of Defence Joint Grant Scheme. The program leaders say their work will have applicability for both civil and military air vehicles. “We were looking at technologies to reduce cost of ownership and cost of maintenance of UAV systems,â€? Warsop says. “As the technologies could be used for areas such as police and rescue services as well as military applications, we have to get the costs down to an affordable level.â€? Warsop says he is conďŹ dent the Demon demonstration in the spring will prove successful but adds that there is scope for more research. “We are still only halfway probably through the research cycle,â€? he says. “All of these technologies have to be scaled up and prove to be reliable on real engineering products to ensure that they are airworthy and reliable for a full lifecycle.â€?
Magnus Bennett is a journalist currently working with the BBC in the United Kingdom.
For More Information: #"& 4ZTUFNT BOE $SBOĂĽFME 6OJWFSTJUZ T %FNPO EFNPOTUSBUPS WFIJDMF "MM QIPUPT DPVSUFTZ #"& 4ZTUFNT
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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-<CCH=B; 5H -9;K5MGR )B9 15M HC '5?9 '=@=H5FM .F5=B=B; 'CF9 ,95@=GH=7 By David C. Walsh
Free-Ranging â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Roversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mimic Human Movements
wo-wheeled, gravity-defying Segways have become a ďŹ xture at some big-city intersections, as joyriding tourists take in the sights or roving police ofďŹ cers survey the scene.
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Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marathon Robotics has adapted the U.S.-made Segways for a new purpose: target â&#x20AC;&#x153;dronesâ&#x20AC;? for live-ďŹ re riďŹ&#x201A;e training. The opening graphic on the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web site depicts a correctly scaled dummy aboard the proprietary â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rover,â&#x20AC;? seemingly moving into interlocking ďŹ elds of ďŹ re. %VERY SERVICE S TRAINING PROGRAM THE COMPANY SAYS IS hCONSTRAINED BY x AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIESv LIKE hFUNDAMENTALLY LIMITED AND INmEXIBLE x TRADITIONAL RAILS and pop-ups.â&#x20AC;? Robots, it says, are much better; they make live-ďŹ re sniper training â&#x20AC;&#x153;more realistic and challenging.â&#x20AC;? The autonomous Rovers wheel around unpredictably like actual enemies, not like paper or wooden targets at a ďŹ ring range. With the Rover system, says Marathon CEO Alex Brooks, a single instructor can conduct â&#x20AC;&#x153;complex long-duration scenarios with multiple free-ranging targets. No need to use a joystickâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; just give the command and off they go, following a pre-orchestrated scenario. When a target is shot, it provides instant visual feedback by stopping and dropping its mannequin. It simultaneously sends a message to other targets, who can react by running for cover.â&#x20AC;? Brooks says worldwide interest in the gyring and gimbling droids is â&#x20AC;&#x153;phenomenal.â&#x20AC;? In November, the company was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense for a Foreign Comparative Test (FCT) by the U.S. Marine Corps, subject to congressional approval and contract negotiations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think our Rovers can really make a difference, strengthening the Marinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capability to engage moving targets,â&#x20AC;? Brooks says. The Segway-based robots are computer-directed via joystick and Ethernet. This enables the robotsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; links with central command and, via remote control and interactive control, to each other. They also are equipped with GPS and scanning-laser rangeďŹ nders for navigation, positioning, and detecting and avoiding obstacles. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;secret sauceâ&#x20AC;? is the Roversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;black box,â&#x20AC;? the onboard intelligence letting it react swiftly to unexpected situations.
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Scatter!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; In hardware terms, much of the gear is military speciďŹ cation and the armored bases can withstand errant 5.56 and 7.62 rounds. The hardened plastic body can â&#x20AC;&#x153;withstand hundreds of shots before needing replacement,â&#x20AC;? Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
" 3PWFS JO GVMM EJTHVJTF "MM QIPUPT DPVSUFTZ .BSBUIPO 3PCPUJDT Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
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SEGWAYâ&#x20AC;Ś CONTINUED Marathon says. The robots look out for each other, too: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the shooter OPENS lRE v SAYS -ARATHON DIRECTOR !LEXEI -AKARENKO hTHE lRST ;2OVER= x THAT S HIT SENDS A @SCATTER SIGNAL TO HIS BUDDIES v In practice, when the mobile target is impacted it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;droppedâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the body form physically keels over to horizontal, then rights itself to â&#x20AC;&#x153;soldier on.â&#x20AC;? Besides the obvious visual cue, Roversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acoustic sensors send â&#x20AC;&#x153;wound signalâ&#x20AC;? tones. These distinguish head and spine shots from torso/body strikes. The standard, ready-for-delivery model has light, easily replaceable wheels and armored hubcap covers. Models can be ordered with luxury amenities like roll-ďŹ&#x201A;at tires and audio components. Weapons, lighting and other systems may be available, too, Brooks says. All Rovers can operate in heavy rain and around the clock, from eight to 15 miles from their bases (depending on conditions), and in temperatures of 0-50 degrees Celsius (32-120 degrees Fahrenheit). With all the complex backward and forward, turn-on-a-dime maneuvering (up to about 10 miles per hour) Rovers can move into buildings and traverse some difďŹ cult terrain, â&#x20AC;&#x153;anywhere,â&#x20AC;? asserts Makarenko, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that a human could.â&#x20AC;? That also means around corners and out of marksmanship instructorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; visual sight. Brooks says of the Marine Corpsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Marines were successful in their application for an FY 2010 Foreign Comparative Test award to evaluate the Rovers for improving moving marksmanship training and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;escalation of forceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; decision-making. Contract award is expected following congressional approval and contract negotiations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My understanding from talking to the Marines is that improving Marinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capability to engage moving targets and to make shoot/no-shoot decisions under pressure is a key goal, and that the Rovers are able to make a real difference in this respect,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is an exciting project for us and for the Marines.â&#x20AC;? Another source of appeal for the Marines is the commercial, offthe-shelf feature: Segway is â&#x20AC;&#x153;already there,â&#x20AC;? a proven and robust technology. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The project began when we were approached by the Australian Defence Force when they were looking for robotic targets to give them a real stepchange in realism and the challenging nature of the training they can provide,â&#x20AC;? Brooks says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We looked at a number of different platforms to use for our targets, and early on we selected the Segway platform as a very robust " 3PWFS UBLFT B IJU
off-the-shelf alternative with good speed and endurance capabilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked very closely with Australian Defence since then, designing it to their speciďŹ cations. We were aware that SPAWAR [the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command] and a number of other groups have been experimenting with Segways for different purposes but havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had much interaction on a technical level. â&#x20AC;&#x153; At some stage, says Brooks, this marksmanship/sniper training might also involve real-life scenarios using rovers as ďŹ redrawing devices, to point out, then neutralize enemy shooting positions. And maybe distract them from ďŹ ring on U.S. troops? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sure, anythingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible. Given the basic robotic competencies, i.e. the ability to move around autonomously, there are a lot of other potential applications.â&#x20AC;? Doubtless, under certain scenarios sniper students will be especially hard-pressed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like when an entire ďŹ eld of Rovers jigs across the kill-zone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Each Rover does all its own onboard sensing and computing,â&#x20AC;? says Brooks, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so the system scales very well. Several dozen targets can operate today; up to a hundred or more would not be a problem if requested by customers.â&#x20AC;? How does the Rover system stack up against â&#x20AC;&#x153;comparablesâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D; other random-moving, remotely operated systems? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ours is autonomous,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;meaning each robot can drive by it-
The Genesis of Rover Brooks explains the genesis of the Rover system: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We began working some time around 2004 with the Australian Defense Force. The ADF conceptualized the idea of a mobile robotic target and provided the speciďŹ cations according to their training requirements, while we provided the robotics expertise. The ADF wanted something that would really give them a step-change in the level of realism in their training.â&#x20AC;? That collaboration has continued, and Brooks says he is pleased with the progress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To the best of our knowledge, the Rovers used by the Australians are the ďŹ rst autonomous ground robot to be in active service with a military anywhere in the world.â&#x20AC;? The Australian military started using the newly developed system just last year, and Marathon is directing its marketing to the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and, at least for now, the U.S. Marines. According to a spokesman with the Marineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Program Manager for Training Systems (PMTRASYS), he anticipates the Marines entering contract negations in February or March 2010. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Post-award we will have a fully deďŹ ned and awarded FCT effort that would then be appropriate for media announcement. In the interim, it is one of multiple efforts/initiatives across the Marine Corps pursuing to improve training of moving marksmanship. Details of test and procurement are still pre-decisional, owing to fact that we are still in deďŹ nition/pre-contract negotiation stages.â&#x20AC;?
30
Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Segways, saying only, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We use Segwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s off-the-shelf Robotic Mobility Platform.â&#x20AC;?
Other Customers Rover robots are being seriously pondered, not only by the U.S. Marines but also by other military establishments here and abroad. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a number of MOUT [Military Operations in Urban Terrain] facilities in the U.S. suitable for the Rovers. Urban operation is on the agenda of most militaries, and MOUT facilities have been constructed or are under construction in many other countries,â&#x20AC;? Brooks says. The riďŹ&#x201A;e training systems are â&#x20AC;&#x153;currently used by the Australian Defence Force. We are in discussions with several nations/agencies but it would be premature to comment at this point. The Rovers model as shown on our Web site is available now.â&#x20AC;?
" ĂĽFME GVMM PG 3PWFST
self according to high-level commands. Instructors can tell it to move along predetermined paths, or move about in certain areas, or patrol a perimeter. A robot can move in and out of line-of-sight for hours at a time. [Our robots] can even be conďŹ gured to run for cover when another robot is shot, adding a level of unpredictability and realism that canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be obtained with other systems.â&#x20AC;? Moreover, hits can be recorded using traditional laser-designator gear, called MILES, where lasers stand in for bullets during training. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We could certainly integrate MILES capability,â&#x20AC;? he adds.
With conďŹ&#x201A;ict appearing to move inexorably to more MOUT scenarios, it seems only a matter of time before national military forces here and abroad embrace Rovers or something like them. David C. Walsh, proprieter of pixwords.com, is a Washington, D.C.based writer specializing in defense and security issues.
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Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
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SAVE THE DATE! AUVSIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S UNMANNED SYSTEMS NORTH AMERICA 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 24â&#x20AC;&#x201C;27 AUGUST â&#x20AC;&#x201D; DENVER, CO, USA
se U l il W t en tm r a ep D y it r u ec S d n a el U.S. Hom
s er at W n er th ou S l ro at P to S A Maritime Variant U
By John M. Doyle
.S. Customs and Border Protection will soon take delivery of its seventh Predator B unmanned aircraft system (UAS), a maritime variant known as Guardian that will be the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second UAS dedicated to long endurance patrols at sea. But the program could face an uncertain future due to budget constraints in tough economic times.
U
commandant, at the Palmdale ceremony. CBP and the Coast Guard, both Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies, have been working together for more than a year on developing a land-based UAS for maritime air patrols.
After operational testing and evaluation is completed, the ďŹ rst Guardian will be based at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a unit of Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, for long-range surveillance in counter-narcotics operations. The second Guardian is slated for posting at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.
Kostelnik and Allen call the Guardian Predator B variant a â&#x20AC;&#x153;force multiplier.â&#x20AC;? The two DHS agencies formed a UAS Joint Program OfďŹ ce in 2008 to explore common requirements for a land-based maritime patrol UAS. The Coast Guard, which is in the midst of a 25-year recapitalization program to upgrade its aging ďŹ&#x201A;eet of aircraft and waterborne vessels, had planned on using the National Security Cutter-borne Eagle Eye vertical take off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle (VUAV) to extend its maritime patrol reach. But Coast Guard leaders, dissatisďŹ ed with the Eagle Eyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance, scrubbed the program in 2007 and have been working with the Navy to develop the Northrop Grumman Fire Scout VUAV into a replacement to ďŹ&#x201A;y from the new cutter ďŹ&#x201A;eet.
GA-ASI Aircraft Systems Group President Thomas Cassidy joined CBP Assistant Commissioner Michael Kostelnik, the head of CBPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Air and Marine OfďŹ ce, and Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is sending personnel to train with CBP Air and Marine as UAS operators. The standard Predator B, with structural, avionics and communications enhancements, can ďŹ&#x201A;y at
The ďŹ rst Guardian, a maritime variant of the General Atomics MQ-9 Predator B equipped with sensors to monitor the small, fast moving surface vessels often used in drug smuggling and other illegal operations, debuted 7 Dec. at General Atomics Aeronautical Systemsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (GA-ASI) Gray Butte facility in Palmdale, Calif.
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Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
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speeds up to 250 knots at an altitude of 19,000 feet. Allen said the Guardian â&#x20AC;&#x153;will help us counter threats like narcotics and migrant smuggling, terrorism and piracy in the vast expanses of the maritime domain.â&#x20AC;? The maritime variant will be equipped with Raytheonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SeaVue Maritime and Overland Surveillance Radar, as well as a Raytheon Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS-B) with electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) tracking capability for long-range surveillance and high-altitude target acquisition by the unarmed aircraft. The SeaVue systemâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and inverse SAR radar, as well as color display for weather detection and Doppler beam sharpening for wide-area, high-resolution plan position indicationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;can detect a person in a life raft from 67 nautical miles away. The maritime radar pod, located under the fuselage near the tail, has been modiďŹ ed so that it can carry other radars, such as those made by ITT, Selex or Elta. If and when the Coast Guard purchases its own UAS, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they prefer to go with another radar, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have the opportunity to do that,â&#x20AC;? Kostelnik says. The Predator will also have an Automated IdentiďŹ cation System (AIS) device allowing the unmanned aircraftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operators, who will be using an advanced, specially built maritime ground control system, to identify larger vessels equipped with government-required AIS transponders. CBP Air and Marineâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;cooperating with the Air Force and Coast Guardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;tested the maritime UAS concept in 2008, ďŹ&#x201A;ying one from Tyndall Air Force Base down the Gulf Coast to the Florida Keys and back. In that test, CBP and the Coast Guard used a borrowed
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Air Force Predator equipped with a maritime search radar package from Israeli manufacturer Elta. But CBP ofďŹ cials say Tyndall, in the Florida panhandle, is too far away for effectively patrolling Gulf and Caribbean waters. Instead, CBP will base the new maritime version near Cape Canaveral. Kostelnik says the ďŹ rst Guardian will patrol for drug runners and people smugglers in the airspace over South Florida, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The second Guardian, scheduled for delivery in early 2010, is slated to patrol the western Gulf and the U.S. Southwest initially, and later as far south as the waters off Central America. Because maritime radars â&#x20AC;&#x153;are in short supply,â&#x20AC;? the second Guardian wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start patrol operations until summer 2010, Kostelnik
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Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
33
MARITIMEâ&#x20AC;Ś CONTINUED said. The ďŹ rst Guardianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SeaVue radar came from one of CBPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s P-3 patrol aircraft. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We needed something that we already knew would work,â&#x20AC;? he added. Three land-based Predators already at Libby Army AirďŹ eld in Sierra Vista, Ariz., will continue to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border while two other Predators located at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota patrol the border with Canada. Kostelnik says there are no immediate plans to base a Predator UAS in California to patrol the PaciďŹ c coast, and future plans to use the Guardian for surveillance of the Great Lakes may have to be deferred. In tight budgetary times, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the future is kind of uncertain,â&#x20AC;? Kostelnik says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We never really knew how many of these things we would buy or should buy.â&#x20AC;? If no more Predators are acquired, Kostelnik believes one of the aircraft in Arizona can be moved to upstate New York for Great Lakes patrolling.
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The way ahead would really be conditioned by what HAPPENS WITH THE CAMPAIGN ON TERROR IN THE HOMELAND x )F SOMEthing adverse were to happen, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d clearly be a lot more interest in doing more with these things,â&#x20AC;? he says. If the second Guardian â&#x20AC;&#x153;doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bring better value, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably not going to have much of a future,â&#x20AC;? but Koselnik believes the CBP Predator â&#x20AC;&#x153;does bring a lot of value and justiďŹ es itself,â&#x20AC;? assisting North Dakota ďŹ&#x201A;ood relief and hurricane recovery in Texas in addition to its usual border patrol missions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, with the assets we have, we can put a Predator overhead anyplace in the Northern Hemisphere, same dayâ&#x20AC;? feeding live FLIR or EO/IR imagery â&#x20AC;&#x153;and ďŹ&#x201A;y that mission for 20 hours. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nobody in the U.S. that has the capability to do that except for us today,â&#x20AC;? Kostelnik says.
air force with 290 aircraft, both ďŹ xed wing and rotorcraft, as well as 225 maritime vessels. But Kostelnik says the agency has no plans to acquire unmanned underwater vehicles for surveillance, noting, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got our hands full. That would be a stretch for us.â&#x20AC;?
John M. Doyle is a Washington-based defense and homeland security writer. He blogs at http://4gwar.wordpress.com.
For More Information: www.cbp.gov
CBP Air and Marine bills itself as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest law enforcement
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Every week as part of AUVSIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eBrief electronic newsletter, we include a look at some of the most interesting and promising scientiďŹ c research that could ďŹ nd its way into unmanned and robotic systems. This is a summary of some of those recent ďŹ ndings. Robots use vision, laser and sometimes sonar sensors to map their environment and determine their place in it, a process known as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, or SLAM. Developers building new robots have also had to develop their own SLAM algorithms or borrow existing ones and hope for the best. Now, European researchers from universities in Italy, Spain and Germany have created a set of free â&#x20AC;&#x153;benchmarkingâ&#x20AC;? tools to make it easier for roboticists to compare SLAM algorithms and approaches.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our goal was to establish a common, predeďŹ ned way of measuring the performance of SLAM algorithms that differ by approach and sensors usedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;benchmarks that other algorithms could then be compared against,â&#x20AC;? says Matteo Matteucci of Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Politecnico di Milano University, one of the schools involved in the research (the others are University of Milano-Bicocca, the University of Zaragoza in Spain and the University of Freiburg in Germany).
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The benchmarking system, called Rawseeds, is available for free at www.rawseeds.org/home and is downloaded using BitTorrent peerto-peer ďŹ le sharing. More information is available at cordis.europa. eu/ictresults.
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new generation of retinal implants intended to provide a higher resolution, more natural viewing experience for blind or visually impaired people. Retinal implants are electrode arrays, placed at the back of the eye, that connect to an external camera and send images to the brain. However, most often users can only make out fuzzy borders between areas of light and dark. The new implant would allow users to see â&#x20AC;&#x153;meaningfulâ&#x20AC;? images and make out the shape of objects.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good analogy is high-def TV,â&#x20AC;? says assistant professor Stephen Baccus, one of several team members who presented the research in December at the International Electron Devices Meeting in Maryland. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you only have a few pixels of stimulation, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to see much. One clear advantage of our implant is high resolution.â&#x20AC;? The Stanford implant has about 1,000 electrodes, compared to only 60 found in most implantable systems. " TDIFNBUJD PG UIF 4UBOGPSE WJTJPO TZTUFN
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Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
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/BA5BB98 -7=9B79 ,CIB8ID Researchers at Stanford University are using nanotechnology to produce super-lightweight, bendable batteries and supercapacitors made from ordinary paper. Coating paper with ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires creates a highly conductive storage devices that can last through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles and transfer electricity very quickly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This technology has potential to be commercialized within a short time,â&#x20AC;? says Pediong Yang, a professor of chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it will be limited to just energy storage devices. This is potentially a very nice, low-cost, ďŹ&#x201A;exible electrode for any electrical device.â&#x20AC;? Going even smaller, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University have found that common bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution. Teams of hundreds of bacteria can turn the gears, which are only 380 microns long but still many times larger than the bacteria. The speed of the turning can even be adjusted by changing the amount of oxygen in the solution; decreasing the oxygen slows the swimming.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our discovery demonstrates how microscopic swimming agents, such as bacteria or man-made nanorobots, in combination with hard materials, can constitute a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;smart materialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which can dynamically alter its microstructures, repair damage or power microdevices,â&#x20AC;? says Argonne physicist and principal investigator Igor Aronson. 5FBNT PG CBDUFSJB DBO NPWF UIFTF OBOP HFBST QPTTJCMZ QPXFSJOH OBOPEFWJDFT 1IPUP DPVSUFTZ "SHPOOF /BUJPOBM -BCPSBUPSZ
The implant is made of ďŹ&#x201A;exible silicon, allowing it to drape over the shape of the eye, allowing for relatively large implants and keeping the whole image in focus. A robotic device developed at MITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Touch Lab allows visually impaired people to navigate around a virtual model of a real building, giving them the same beneďŹ t sighted people get from viewing online maps. The BlindAid system is based on Phantom, a system developed at MIT in the 1990s and commercialized by SensAble Technologies. It uses a robotic arm that the user grasps like holding a stylus and which then creates the feeling of touch by exerting a small force on the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ ngers, much like a robotic cane. It allows users to feel virtual ďŹ&#x201A;oors, walls, doors and other objects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a big difference between going to a totally unknown place and a place for which you have a mental map,â&#x20AC;? says Mandayam Srinivasan, director of the Touch Lab. Ultimately, the lab hopes to move the system into commercial production. Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Every day, military personnel worldwide count on Rockwell Collins to provide the technology UAVs require to effectively operate in manned and unmanned airspace. From advanced flight control, navigation, communication, and sensor systems to a worldwide support network, we provide the critical solutions the military needs to successfully complete its missions. To learn more, visit rockwellcollins.com/rely.
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Is There a Doctor in
THE HOUSE?
How Telemedical Robots Ensure the Doctor is Always In By Danielle Lucey
orth Carolina is what Jonathan Bailey refers to as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;buckleâ&#x20AC;? of the Stroke Belt. The administrative director for neurosciences services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Bailey works in a state that has the sixth highest stroke death rate in the country, according to a 2009 National Center for Health Statistics report. While some studies cite demographics and Southern diet as causes for this disparity, getting people urgent care in a rural setting is also part of the equation.
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Time is of the essence,â&#x20AC;? says Bailey, which is why, he says, that Wake Forest opted to lease telemedical robotsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;machines that allow doctors, nurses and specialists to remotely assess a patient through a video and audio interface device. In addition to that, doctors can control the motion of the robots, made by InTouch Technologiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; health division, so they can patrol the hospital alongside the on-site staff. The hospital opted to use the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RP-7i robots for stroke patients, because the ability to administer thrombolic drugs, which prevent blood clots from forming, as quickly as possible greatly increases the prognosis of patients. The drugs have a tight time window where they can be taken, says Bailey, and getting a specialistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s input at a momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notice is paramount for patients to have the best chance of survival. In addition to the time factor, Bailey says that another perk of having the robot is the cost decrease in having to transport patients from hospital to hospital. This way, only the patients in the direst need
would be moved. The Wake Forest medical center hopes to expand the number of hospitals with InTouch capability in the area to between 12 and 18 hospitals, Bailey says. Currently, they have two of the telemedical robots employed. While as of press time the hospital hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had any patients that needed to use the InTouch program since it acquired it in early December, the hospital ran ďŹ ve mock patients through the system to get the physicians and nursing staff comfortable using it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To [specialists] itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking and elevating the quality of care and access to care to levels that are unmatched,â&#x20AC;? says Bailey. If things go well with stroke patients, the hospital plans to expand the program to other units, like psychiatry and cardiology, he continues. Yulun Wang, CEO and chairman of Santa Barbara, Calif.-based InTouch, realized there was a market for these telemedical robots when he was working at his previous company, Computer Motion, which focused on minimally invasive robotics for the surgery community. InTouch Health marketing communications manager Jennifer Neisse says that while in that capacity, Wang, who earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering with a robotics focus from the University of California at Santa Barbara, saw the need for doctors to be able to leave the hospital but still access their patients.
That way, if a physician goes home and he gets a call at 2 a.m., instead of either addressing the issue over the phone or driving back into the hospital (which could be a long trip), now a doctor )PX B SFNPUF EPDUPS JOUFSBDUT XJUI UIF *O5PVDI SPCPU $PVSUFTZ *O5PVDI )FBMUI can be present with his patient in a matter of seconds via the RP-7i, says Neisse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s especially useful for specialty care,â&#x20AC;? she says, noting that smaller hospitals in more rural areas might not have access to specialist the way larger, more urban ones often do. To access the robot remotely, all a doctor or nurse needs is a computer with Internet access, a joystick and a Web cam. Once the physician logs into InTouchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s network, called SureConnect, he can move the robot with the joystick and gains two-way audio and video through the Web cam. And because InTouchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s robots are all approved by the Food and Drug
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Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Administration, the only telemedical robots that have that distinction, they can be equipped with a multitude of medical devices ranging from stethoscopes to ultrasound machines, so the doctor and see and hear what is wrong with the patient from afar. Although the physician has no sense of touch with the patient, through the electronic medical devices doctors can get very accurate sound-based readings, such as heart rate and lung function, by using headsets on their end to get clearer audio, says Neisse. The current version of InTouchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s robot is its seventh incarnation since the company started in 2002. In addition to the RP-7i, the company also markets and sells a non-mobile version of the telemedical machine, the RP-Lite, which requires medical staff to roll it around the hospital.
Other Systems Although InTouch was the ďŹ rst to make a mark in the telemedical robot industry, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not alone in production. For instance, Conyers, Georgia-based Gecko Systems makes the CareBot Mobile Security Robot, which assists medical personnel in taking blood pressure and pulse and can administer oxygen. The robot, which can carry loads of up to 200 pounds, can also run errands like taking items like bedpans to patients. Some hospitals are taking delivery of medical robots that only perform more menial staff tasks. Rush University Medical Hospital in Chicago began in December to use a ďŹ&#x201A;eet of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to transport items like linens, supplies and trash around the hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus. These robots, which the hospital bought from Chalfont, Pa.-based JBT Corp., can carry up to 1,000 pounds and move along programmed paths guided by lasers. The robot is also equipped with an infrared sensor that will cause it to stop if it detects something in its path. If it detects a person in its path, the AGV can request, through human speech, that the person step aside. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They really do seem like part of the team,â&#x20AC;? Mary Byrne, director of the Supply Chain Management team at Rush, said in a released
statement. In addition to hospital use, some places are using telemedical robots to help out in eldercare facilities. InTouch delivered its ďŹ rst robot to a senior citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; facility and Gecko Systems is currently testing its CareBot at limited inhome trials as a personal companion home care robot.
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The University of Auckland is in the middle of a study that will determine what patients and health care providers want out of their medical robots. The university has teamed with the Selwyn Retirement Village in Point Chevalier, Auckland, New Zealand, to study what makes for the best bedside manner for a robot in an eldercare facility. The aim of the research is to develop an inexpensive robot that could extend how long the elderly can live in their own homes but could also perform menial staff support at assisted living facilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Robotic assistants could provide a range of beneďŹ ts in health care as the population ages, but designers must ďŹ rst understand older peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitudes and expectations of robots before they can be accepted,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Bruce McDonald, head of the HealthBots Project, said in a statement. After polling residents of the retirement center, results showed that seniors most wanted a robot that would monitor falls, call for help, clean, place phone calls to a medical facility, lift, switch on and off appliances, and remind them to take medication. The study also focused on what the residents and staff would like the robot to look like. While there was no preference for a male or female robot, the poll found that people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the robot to be too human-like, with some even reporting that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d prefer a faceless robot. In addition to having a clear voice and being middle aged, residents and staff preferred a robot that was 1.25 meters (4.1 feet) tall with a screen on the body and wheels. Even though the robots would be capable of many tasks, the personnel at retirement and health care facilities would not be in jeopardy of being replaced, according to the study. Things like personal care and identifying depression were still thought to be best performed by human staffers. The next phase of the three-year study at Selwyn Retirement Village is a trial of a robot from Korean company Yujin Robotics, which will take vitals and give reminders to the seniors.
Danielle Lucey is associate editor of Unmanned Systems.
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Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
For More Information: www.intouchhealth.com www.geckosystems.com www.jbtcorporation.com www.yujinrobot.com Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
39
2OBOTS FOR %VERYONE By Brett Davis
lthough the unmanned systems and robotics industry is large and growing, companies and researchers alike recognize that it could expand faster still if getting into the industry was made
A
easier.
Two companies, using very different platforms, have announced new robotics-based products to try to accomplish that feat. National Instruments, whose LabView prototyping and training software has been behind many robotic systems, in January announced its new LabView Robotics kit, aimed at making it easier to build robots. LabView, a 23-year market veteran, has been used to prototype Vecna Technologiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BattleďŹ eld Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR), train surgeons on using the DaVinci surgical robot and even adapt sensors to high-end Mercedes vehicles to help improve driving, such as by warning when a car drifts out of lane, among many other uses.
Companies Seek Ways to Make Building Unmanned Systems Easier â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the biggest thing,â&#x20AC;? Brettle says of connectivity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It needs to be able to interface with a variety of different sensors and control some type of actuators.â&#x20AC;? National Instruments already marketed LabView in a variety of software bundles. To create the new robotics kit, it surveyed the modules and toolkits â&#x20AC;&#x153;and found the ones that speciďŹ cally apply to robotics and make that job easier,â&#x20AC;? Brettle says.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just tremendous potential in the upcoming years in the robotics ďŹ eld,â&#x20AC;? says Jamie Brettle, embedded platform product manager at Austin, Texas-based National Instruments.
The modules include LabView Real-Time, LabView FGPA (ďŹ eldprogrammable gate array), NI Vision; LabView Control Design and Simulation, and several others.
According to market studies, robotics is expected to grow across the board, from educational robotic systems (expected to nearly a $2 billion market by 2015) to service robots to even â&#x20AC;&#x153;entertaiment and leisure robots.â&#x20AC;?
"UT WAIT 4HERE S MORE h7HAT S NEW ON TOP OF BUNDLING IS WE VE created a robotics IP [intellectual property] speciďŹ cally to meet the needs of these robotic developers,â&#x20AC;? Brettle says. It includes â&#x20AC;&#x153;sensing, connectivity, protocols, path planning, obstacle avoidance, steering, robotic arm [manipulation]â&#x20AC;? algorithms, as well as the ability to download additional algorithms.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really great beneďŹ ts to using these robotic devices,â&#x20AC;? Brettle tells Unmanned Systems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they really arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t everywhere yet. There must be some challenges.â&#x20AC;? One big challenge is that building robotic systems is complex. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s software design, which includes modeling, simulation, algorithm design, architectures, advanced control and networking; embedded systems design, which includes the hardware and the motion controls; and connectivity, which includes actuators and motors to make things move, sensors to detect the environment and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;human-machine interface.â&#x20AC;? /* T OFX -BC7JFX 3PCPUJDT LJU 1IPUP DPVSUFTZ /*
The kit connects to a Web site where users can share codeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or â&#x20AC;&#x153;robot recipesâ&#x20AC;? for certain behaviors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re building a community around robotics users that allows them to share their IP online and ultimately incorporate more IP into the product.â&#x20AC;? The kit also can be coupled with embedded hardware platforms: the NI CompactRIO, an embedded controller in a mechanical enclosure; NI Single-Board RIO, a board-level embedded controller; and the NI LabView Robotics Starter Kit, a new kit based on the Single-Board RIO but which includes a four-wheeled chassis with an ultrasonic sensor, encoders, battery and charger. The latter kit can perform basic obstacle avoidance out of the box, the company says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re aiming to do with that is give a nice, out-of-the-box experience,â&#x20AC;? Brettle says. The kit includes a number of drivers to talk to a wide range of sensors, including infrared, GPS, LIDAR and stereo-vision sensors.
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
41
EASY BOTSâ&#x20AC;Ś CONTINUED â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope to see a lot more developers creating robots, being able to share their code and being able to share their applications, which is only going to grow the robotics industry as a whole,â&#x20AC;? Brettle says.
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Larger Scale Making things easier in the robotics world is also the goal of Blacksburg, Va.-based TORC Technologies, which is also offering a fourwheeled platform, although on a larger scale. TORC is offering the ByWire XGV, a Ford Escape Hybrid-based platform intended to give universities and robotics companies a faster way to integrate and test their autonomous technologies. The platform is based on TORCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitor in the DARPA Urban Challenge self-driving vehicle competition. As a competition-tested vehicle, companies can bypass the need to convert a vehicle to driveby-wire status and jump right into the integration phase for other technologies, the company says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To develop the next level of unmanned ground vehicle technologies, researchers need a reliable, cost-effective drive-by-wire platform from which they can build upon,â&#x20AC;? says Andrew Culhane, business development manager for TORC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the full-sized unmanned ground vehicle market, this is especially important since large amounts of time and money can be sunk into developing an in-house solution that may be pulling resources away from working on the core technology under development.â&#x20AC;? 503$ 5FDIOPMPHJFT #Z8JSF 9(7 QMBUGPSN 1IPUP DPVSUFTZ 503$ 5FDIOPMPHJFT
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Unmanned Systems â&#x20AC;&#x201D; February 2010
The XGV provides electronic control of the Ford Escapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steering, throttle, shifter braking and signal systems (controlled through an Ethernet interface) and includes SafeStop, a wireless emergency system that allows for both temporary pauses and emergency shutdowns.
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Making unmanned systems, even large ones, more reliable, safer and more effective is â&#x20AC;&#x153;necessary to boost adoption rates of unmanned vehicles by government and commercial markets,â&#x20AC;? Culhane says, adding that the XGV gives unmanned systems builders a good base platform without â&#x20AC;&#x153;solving a problem [drive by wire] that is not associated with the actual technology under development.â&#x20AC;?
Brett Davis is editor of Unmanned Systems.
For More Information: www.ni.com www.torctech.com www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvBO0kGbbus
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Shhh, It’s a Secret: :cXgnei^c\ J6H 8dbbjc^XVi^dch By Paul Dillien t has been widely reported recently that insurgents have been intercepting and displaying the unencrypted video feeds from unmanned aircraft using inexpensive software sourced from the Web.
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This shocking revelation suggests that adding an encryption capability is a difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be onerous. The encryption of data is an obvious benefit for UAS. The download from the payload, such as radar, optical or infrared camera, can be encrypted to prevent any intercepted signal from being of use to an enemy. The streaming data demands a high-performance encryption engine, but that is well within the capabilities of cores that can be built into programmable logic. The uploaded control and command signals can also be encrypted to prevent hijacking of the aircraft. The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has authorized the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for encrypting classified information. AES combines an extremely high level of security with computational efficiency, making it suitable for either hardware or software systems. Low data rates, such as those used by command signals, can be accomplished by software in the unmanned vehicle. Hardware solutions are, of course, much faster and are well suited to video streams. Applications can exploit an off-the-shelf core, which can even be retrofitted into existing systems if they use programmable logic (field programmable gate array, or FPGA). For example, a wireless application requiring less than100 megabits per second can be realized by adding a small AES-G3 core from Algotronix Ltd. into unused areas of an FPGA. This core has been optimized for video and can also be connected via an interface core to processors on the FPGA. Even systems running beyond 10 gigabits per second can be achieved using a larger core. Optimizations within this 100-to-1 range provide solutions for a wide range of military applications.
into the chip design software. Engineering can then define the performance parameters to match the system requirements and blend the AES into the design. The AES would normally operate under the control of a microprocessor, which would supervise the FPGA configuration on power-up.
Keeping the Keys An important aspect of any encryption system is to keep the keys secure. A UAV may be captured or shot down, so a secure way is required to change keys in the event of a security breach. The Algotronix Keywrap core uses the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) specified algorithm to encrypt the key so that it can be securely loaded and then unwrapped in the UAV. The key can be injected into the UAV as part of the pre-flight procedure using a “key gun.” The advantage of this scheme is that the ground crew cannot directly access the encryption key. Power consumption is an important criterion and is proportional to the clock frequency used to achieve the throughput. A high clock speed will result in higher power consumption and a more difficult design. The Algotronix cores have been crafted to use lower clocks than competitive cores to minimize power consumption. Verification is the No. 1 headache in system design. AES was standardized by NIST with a number of different operating modes. NIST also provides a large number of tests with “known answer” patterns to be used in implementation validation. For design and validation, the core is supplied as an HDL (Hardware Description Language) source code, with a comprehensive test bench. Customers can save quite a
Variations such as AES-GCM and AES-CCM provide authentication of the transmitted data as well as privacy. This prevents an enemy from intercepting the data link and substituting their own video or taking control of the UAV. Programmable solutions are, without question, the fastest way to market and for this reason have become ubiquitous in modern system design. Often there are unused resources in the final FPGA design that might be sufficient for adding AES into the existing chip, or else a higher capacity device can be substituted. Integrating AES into an FPGA-based system is straightforward because the cores can be easily incorporated Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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ENCRYPTION… CONTINUED lot of work by selecting a vendor who offers a comprehensive test bench implementing all AESAVS tests, ideally with additional vectors, as specified in FIPS197 and Special Publication SP800-38A. Engineers need to understand how things work, and unlike some software codes, it is possible to read an HDL source. HDL code allows them to play out “what if ” scenarios to arrive at the optimum design. For example, users can change generic parameters and recompile to evaluate design trade-offs such as data path widths. They will also be expected to verify the core and create test vectors for the final product. The final task (and the least exciting) is to document how the design works for archiving. The experience of Algotronix is that customers are actively working within a day on “plain vanilla” cores, but it also offers a safety net for more demanding designs with consultancy options. One special consideration for encryption IP relates to confidence that the security has not been compromised. A concern in any high security design is to ensure that so called “back door” features have not been maliciously included. It is important, therefore, to select a reputable vendor. It greatly reduces the risk that a hostile intelligence agency has “contributed” malware or viruses to an open-source project. Licensing source code gives users the option to analyze the design. It also reduces the burden and cost of a detailed security analysis of all the software components in the system. The next cost to consider is the silicon. For most systems it is valid to assume that it will already include an FPGA for interfacing or custom logic. The AES core can co-exist in this device to save additional
hardware and weight being required. Algotronix offers support and design consultancy services to aid in the integration of the cores into the final system. The G3 core will fit into FPGAs supplied by Xilinx, Altera, Actel and Lattice. Finally, an important consideration is reuse. In reality, most customers will continue to include the security systems they develop in future products, because reuse of blocks has doubled over the last decade. Larger companies will also look for either a site-wide license or one covering their whole company division so that they have the flexibility to operate efficiently.
Paul Dillien has worked in the semiconductor industry for more than 30 years and recently set up High Tech Marketing, which offers a range of consultancy, marketing and sales services to the semiconductor, electronics and software industries. Before that he was in various sales and marketing roles including working for Xilinx, Plessey and Ferranti. Algotronix is based in the United Kingdom and was established in 1998. It has a proprietary range of advanced crypto IP products. The products have been designed into military, gaming and other secure applications around the world.
For More Information: www.algotronix-store.com/?click=14
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
ONES TO WATCH Every other month, Unmanned Systems takes a look at especially promising students or student teams entering the world of unmanned systems. Many will have taken part in one of AUVSI’s student competitions, where they proved their aptitude with cutting-edge technology. All of them are worth getting to know.
he U.S. Naval Academy has a long history of competition at AUVSI and the Office of Naval Research’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, which took place in San Diego, Calif. Sayre Jeannet worked as the school’s team captain.
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Tom Feeney led the University of Florida’s SubjuGator team for the second year in a row. The team won first place at the competition in 2007. Roy Jarnagin’s Florida Atlantic University team placed seventh in last year’s competition. He helped form a new team and resurrect the school’s AUV for competition in 2008.
Sayre Jeannet Born: Fairbanks, Alaska, 1986 Academic Status: Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in weapons and systems engineering in May of 2009 from the U.S. Naval Academy. He is currently working as a surface warfare officer out of Mayport, Fla. He hopes someday to get his master’s degree in engineering either at the Naval Postgraduate School or from another engineering university. How He Got Interested in Unmanned Systems: Growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska, I spent countless hours tinkering with and building many robots. My first robot was just a small “cybug,” but I soon took to remotely operated vehicles. After building multiple land and submersible ROVs [remotely operated vehicles] in high school, I went to the Naval Academy hoping to get involved with their Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Program. At the Naval Academy, I worked with other systems engineers during multiple years to build a robot for AUVSI’s annual AUV competition, which culminated with me serving as the captain of USNA’s team during the 2009 AUVSI AUV competition. What He Learned From the Competition: Before, during and after the competition, I learned many lessons, from teamwork to higher technical fields. In order to build a complete vehicle with the complexity of an unmanned system, it requires a team that
Tom Feeney Born: South Florida, 1985 Academic Status: Graduated August 2009 with a B.S. in electrical engineering. He plans to enter Johns Hopkins for a master’s in electrical engineering in 2010. He is currently working in Northrop Grumman’s rotation-based Professional Development Program at Undersea Systems in Annapolis, Md. Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
is committed to the final goal and committed to communicating and working with the other members of the team. A timeline must account for the unknown, otherwise you are guaranteed to fall behind schedule. One of the greatest lessons learned was the immense satisfaction that can be gleaned from working on a project such as this. Advice for Up and Coming Students: Don’t be intimidated by the complexity of these vehicles. Just sit down, try and learn one piece at a time, and before you know it, you will be building these vehicles too. What He’d Like to Do: In the future, I hope to work in research and development, putting my systems engineering degree to work and hopefully developing unmanned systems that can be used in multiple sectors. The Biggest Challenge He Sees Facing the Industry: One of the biggest challenges is convincing the next generation that engineering is cool and this country’s future depends on it. This industry has great potential, and it is going to be exciting to see all of the unmanned systems of the future.
How He Got Interested in Unmanned Systems: I was really interested in computers and electronics in high school. After starting at the University of Florida, I found the Machine Intelligence Lab to be a perfect incubator for all of my interests. There I learned embedded programming and mechanical design before ever reaching it in my classes. I was involved in SubjuGator for four years [the University of Florida’s AUV team], the last two years as a co-leader and then team leader. What He Learned From the Competition: I discovered that building an autonomous submarine requires more than just technical knowledge. I had to coordinate other people’s time, matching their expertise to our needs, and ensure the program schedule met required milestones. With so many interdependent systems, if one component becomes unavailable, how long will the rest of the team be unable to work? Only experience generates the necessary skills of design for manufacturability and supportability. Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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ONES TO WATCH… CONTINUED
Advice for Up and Coming Students: Get involved in technical organizations early. Even if it’s confusing at first, stick to it. Your education will catch up with what’s going on around you, and you’ll be ready to take on projects. It will inspire you to be interested in your studies, since you’ve seen first-hand the extraordinary applications. What He’d Like to Do: Earning my degree helped me enter the field of engineering. I learned about the existence of so many technical fields and applications, it allowed me to be able to look at a problem and consider the multidisciplinary solution. I’m particularly interested in pursuing digital systems, sensor fusion and networks, and autonomous platforms. The Biggest Challenge He Sees Facing the Industry: Technically, the
Roy Jarnagin Born: Atlanta, Ga., 1959 Academic Status: He will graduate in August 2010 with an M.S. in ocean engineering with a business minor. He does not plan on going into another academic program at this time and is looking into some promising job opportunities. How He Got Interested in Unmanned Systems: In early 2002, I was at transition point in my career, and I enrolled in a Master of Science program at Southern Polytechnic State University, where I had previously received my dual B.S. degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering technology. I joined the student chapter of IEEE and was given an orientation tour of the IEEE lab. Some guys were working on a robot for a competition and that caught my interest. While talking about that, they mentioned that a team was also preparing for the AUVSI AUV competition. That really captured my imagination because I had always had a keen interest in undersea technologies. I participated on the fringe of the team at SPSU, but my schedule didn’t allow me to get heavily involved. After completing the M.S. programs in engineering technology and systems engineering at SPSU, I applied and was accepted into the Ph.D. program in ocean engineering with a marine vehicles option at Florida Atlantic University. I wasn’t even thinking about the AUVSI competition during that first grueling year of coursework at FAU. It turns out that one of the undergraduate senior design teams that year designed and built an AUV for the AUVSI competition. Unfortunately, everyone involved in the project took jobs right after graduation and the vehicle was abandoned. With the encouragement of my adviser, I took over the vehicle with the
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
most difficult challenge is the integration of multi-domain information. Humans can combine two disparate pieces of information and create a finding due to our neurological mapping, but we tire and require food. Machines are just beginning to utilize the capabilities of parallel processing with FPGAs [field-programmable gate arrays], asynchronous programming models and multi-core CPU architectures. Our 60-year-old sequential programming model is not the correct mapping to parallel processes, which are currently best described with functional languages. From the market perspective, mission planning and business models are going to be turned upside down. Instead of every deployed asset requiring constant human support, autonomous objects can monitor an environment, simultaneously ensuring the health of its network.
primary aim of developing it into a platform to use in my research. We also thought it would be good to form a team and enter the next year’s AUVSI competition, which we did. Our team finished in eighth place in 2008 and returned to finish in seventh place in 2009. What He Learned From the Competition: Even though I already had years of experience in hands-on engineering, I learned so much more than I can describe in a few sentences. I’m just finishing up a project where I designed and built a vehicle very similar to our competition vehicle for a large corporation that develops defense systems. Going through the whole process of designing and building the physical vehicle was a great reminder of the breadth of knowledge I have gained in the realm of underwater systems. Advice for Up and Coming Students: *UST GET ON BOARD )T HAS BEEN disappointing to me that it is so difficult to get students to participate. While I understand that the students have a lot to deal with just managing the demands of the academic program, I wish they would understand that joining an AUVSI competition has tremendous benefits. There’s nothing like the experience of building a vehicle and competing to gain a level of knowledge that goes way beyond the classroom instruction. Solving abstract problems in dynamic control systems is okay, but taming a misbehaving underwater robot using those techniques is unforgettable. Besides the learning and satisfaction elements, its just so, SO MUCH FUN What He’d Like to Do: I would like to work as a research engineer in a lab where AUVs are developed. I think an ideal situation would involve spending a fair amount of time at sea working with the vehicles. The Biggest Challenge He Sees Facing the Industry: I think the greatest challenge is in the area of machine intelligence. I don’t believe that we are going to create a conscious machine, and I don’t believe there is a “singularity point” in our future. I do believe that there is vast potential for creating smarter machines. To me, it appears that there are many, many paths to explore toward this goal. Unfortunately, many of those paths will prove to be dead ends. I think the winners will be the people who figure out early which paths are most promising. Read us online at auvsi.org/publications
CALENDAR OF EVENTS AUVSI and AUVSI-Affiliated Events:
For information on these events, please visit AUVSI’s Web site at: www.auvsi.org or e-mail: info@auvsi.org
Coming in 2010… AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Program Review 2010 2–4 February Washington, DC, USA
AUVSI’s Ft. Benning/Columbus Chapter Technology Expo 10–11 March Columbus, GA, USA
AUVSI’s Cascade Chapter Meeting 26 February Seattle, WA, USA
AUVSI’s Pathfinder Chapter’s 21st Annual Symposium 17–18 March Huntsville, AL, USA
AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems UK Seminar 2010 21 July Farnborough, UK In conjunction with the Farnborough International Airshow AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America 2010 24–27 August Denver, CO, USA
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Unmanned Systems — February 2010
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