CQAR: Closed quarter aerial robot design for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition tasks in urban areas

International Journal of Computational Intelligence, Volume 1, Number 4, 2004. Retrieved April 2006 from http://prism2.mem.drexel.edu/~paul/papers/ohIjci2004.pdfThis paper describes a prototype aircraft that can fly slowly, safely and transmit wireless video for tasks like reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. The aircraft is designed to fly in closed quarters like forests, buildings, caves and tunnels which are often spacious but GPS reception is poor. Envisioned is that a small, safe and slow flying vehicle can assist in performing dull, dangerous and dirty tasks like disaster mitigation, search-and-rescue and structural damage assessment

Flying insect inspired vision for autonomous aerial robot maneuvers in near-earth environments

Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation. Retrieved April 2006 from http://prism2.mem.drexel.edu/~paul/papers/greenOhBarrowsIcra2004.pdfNear-Earth environments are time consuming, labor intensive and possibly dangerous to safe guard. Accomplishing tasks like bomb detection, search-andrescue and reconnaissance with aerial robots could save resources. This paper describes the adoption of insect behavior and flight patterns to devolop a AtAV sensor suite. A prototype called CQAR: Closed Quarter Aerial Robot, which is capable of flying in and around buildings, through tunnels and in and out of caves will be used to validate the eficiency of such a method when equipped with optic flow microsensors

Competition to identify key challenges for unmanned aerial robots in near earth environments

IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics, Seattle, WA, pp. 303-308, July 2005. Retrieved April 2006 from http://prism2.mem.drexel.edu/~paul/papers/greenIcar2005.pdfTasks like bomb-detection, search-and-rescue, and reconnaissance in near-Earth environments are time, cost and labor intensive. Aerial robots could assist in such missions and offset the demand in resources and personnel. However, flying in environments rich with obstacles presents many more challenges which have yet to be identified. For example, telephone wire is one obstacle that is known to be hard to detect in mid-flight. This paper describes a safe and easy to fly platform in conjunction with an aerial robot competition to highlight key challenges when flying in near- Earth environments

Micro-hovering air vehicle

When emergency situations arise, such as the events on 9/11,visual information needs to be gathered and assessed as quickly as possible so that rescue workers and emergency personnel can get the situation under control and save the lives of people in danger. Often in these situations human beings cannot safely obtain this information and have therefore typically relied on land based robots with wireless cameras to relay pertinent information. However these robots are limited by their inability to maneuver over large obstacles or climb up stairs. Our work consists of designing an aerial robot that can rise up and hover while transmitting streaming video to an operator who is controlling the height of its elevation. This robot will most likely consist of two counter-rotating propellers (to eliminate angular moment) surrounded by a protective shroud (nacelle), outfitted with self-adjusting baffles under the airflow of the propellers. The shroud will protect both the robot and the environment (i.e. civilians, animal life) and will also house the wireless camera, power supply, and sensor suite used to control the baffles, which in turn maintain the stability of the craft. Important tasks include evaluating propeller motor combinations that best optimize our thrust to weight ratios, designing the nacelle, and programming the PIC 16F84 micro controller to adjust the anti-pitch baffles

2020 NASA Technology Taxonomy

This document is an update (new photos used) of the PDF version of the 2020 NASA Technology Taxonomy that will be available to download on the OCT Public Website. The updated 2020 NASA Technology Taxonomy, or "technology dictionary", uses a technology discipline based approach that realigns like-technologies independent of their application within the NASA mission portfolio. This tool is meant to serve as a common technology discipline-based communication tool across the agency and with its partners in other government agencies, academia, industry, and across the world

Research Naval Postgraduate School, v.12, no.3, October 2002

NPS Research is published by the Research and Sponsored Programs, Office of the Vice President and Dean of Research, in accordance with NAVSOP-35. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of the Navy.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Research Brief

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A multimodal micro air vehicle for autonomous flight in near-earth environments

Reconnaissance, surveillance, and search-and-rescue missions in near-Earth environments such as caves, forests, and urban areas pose many new challenges to command and control (C2) teams. Of great significance is how to acquire situational awareness when access to the scene is blocked by enemy fire, rubble, or other occlusions. Small bird-sized aerial robots are expendable and can fly over obstacles and through small openings to assist in the acquisition and distribution of intelligence. However, limited flying space and densely populated obstacle fields requires a vehicle that is capable of hovering, but also maneuverable. A secondary flight mode was incorporated into a fixed-wing aircraft to preserve its maneuverability while adding the capability of hovering. An inertial measurement sensor and onboard flight control system were interfaced and used to transition the hybrid prototype from cruise to hover flight and sustain a hover autonomously. Furthermore, the hovering flight mode can be used to maneuver the aircraft through small openings such as doorways. An ultrasonic and infrared sensor suite was designed to follow exterior building walls until an ingress route was detected. Reactive control was then used to traverse the doorway and gather reconnaissance. Entering a dangerous environment to gather intelligence autonomously will provide an invaluable resource to any C2 team. The holistic approach of platform development, sensor suite design, and control serves as the philosophy of this work.Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering -- Drexel University, 200

Autonomous Weapon Systems: A Brief Survey of Developmental, Operational, Legal, and Ethical Issues

What does the Department of Defense hope to gain from the use of autonomous weapon systems (AWS)? This Letort Paper explores a diverse set of complex issues related to the developmental, operational, legal, and ethical aspects of AWS. It explores the recent history of the development and integration of autonomous and semi-autonomous systems into traditional military operations. It examines anticipated expansion of these roles in the near future as well as outlines international efforts to provide a context for the use of the systems by the United States. As these topics are well-documented in many sources, this Paper serves as a primer for current and future AWS operations to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their respective staffs an overall appreciation of existing capabilities and the challenges, opportunities, and risks associated with the use of AWS across the range of military operations. Emphasis is added to missions and systems that include the use of deadly force.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1303/thumbnail.jp