Autonomous aircraft initiative study

The results of a consulting effort to aid NASA Ames-Dryden in defining a new initiative in aircraft automation are described. The initiative described is a multi-year, multi-center technology development and flight demonstration program. The initiative features the further development of technologies in aircraft automation already being pursued at multiple NASA centers and Department of Defense (DoD) research and Development (R and D) facilities. The proposed initiative involves the development of technologies in intelligent systems, guidance, control, software development, airborne computing, navigation, communications, sensors, unmanned vehicles, and air traffic control. It involves the integration and implementation of these technologies to the extent necessary to conduct selected and incremental flight demonstrations

Counterterrorism civil engineering design

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 51).Because of the increasing concern about terrorist attacks, engineers have shown a substantial interest in making buildings safer for people. In order to come up with the most adequate design, experts have to carefully define the level of risk on the new structure, since people don't want to live in bunker-like buildings. Then, a good understanding of explosive devices will be a major help to keep the damage localized, preventing the overall collapse of the structure which can cause a lot more deaths than the explosion itself. The first and most important parameter is to secure the building's perimeter by increasing the standoff distance or by using security devices such as gates or even bollards around the building; careful site planning is essential and it costs a loss less when accounted for early in the design phase. Also, a wise choice of construction materials will mitigate blast effects; windows, doors, HVAC and firefighting systems should be designed to save lives and to not cause more injuries! Finally, the major driver for a successful blast protection is designing redundancies to carry the additional loads imposed by an explosion; structural members will therefore work as mediators for alternate load paths in the case of damage of their neighboring members.by Wadih J. Jreissati.M.Eng

Exploring techniques for vision based human activity recognition: Methods, systems, and evaluation

With the wide applications of vision based intelligent systems, image and video analysis technologies have attracted the attention of researchers in the computer vision field. In image and video analysis, human activity recognition is an important research direction. By interpreting and understanding human activity, we can recognize and predict the occurrence of crimes and help the police or other agencies react immediately. In the past, a large number of papers have been published on human activity recognition in video and image sequences. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of the recent development of the techniques, including methods, systems, and quantitative evaluation towards the performance of human activity recognitio

Technology Demonstration Report for Underwater Survey Equipment

The underwater equipment technology demonstration report, sponsored by GICHD, provides an evaluation of select commercial technology available for the technical survey of sites contaminated with underwater explosive ordnance. The report, along with the GICHD online equipment catalogue, will assist nations, donors and operators with the selection of the most appropriate equipment for their specific tasks

Advancing automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom and for the US economy

The progress made by levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Office of Space Station in developing and applying advanced automation and robotics technology is described. Emphasis is placed upon the Space Station Freedom Program responses to specific recommendations made in the Advanced Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) progress report 10, the flight telerobotic servicer, and the Advanced Development Program. Assessments are presented for these and other areas as they apply to the advancement of automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom

The Projected Al Qaeda Use of Body Cavity Suicide Bombs Against High Value Targets

This work is initially derived from a non-public disclosure series of early warning presentations, first delivered in September 2006, by the author on the projected terrorist use of body cavity suicide bombs against high value targets. Subsequent terrorist use of such a device, in August 2009 in Saudi Arabia by an Al Qaeda operative, has allowed for this body of research (along with post-incident analysis) to now be published in an open venue. The work provides a historical overview of the use of suicide bombs by military forces and terrorists; addresses the co-evolution of suicide bombs and countermeasures by security groups; analyzes future suicide bomb placement options; and explores Islamic views on the acceptability of foreign object placement in body cavities. It then focuses on issues pertaining to body cavity bomb placement options; bomb components, assembly, and detonation issues; putty, cheese, and the Fadhel al-Maliki incident; Al Qaeda use validation— the Abdullah al-Asiri incident; and concludes with a discussion on body cavity bomb countermeasures and strategic use implications. The work signifies the value of early warning and futures analysis applied to counter-terrorism activities and also highlights the tensions and inherent contradictions involved with individuals who wear the dual hats of practitioner and scholar. These individuals, given the requirements of operational security and secrecy, are challenged with ensuring that open discourse and publication in no way threatens the greater public good

Advanced perception, navigation and planning for autonomous in-water ship hull inspection

Inspection of ship hulls and marine structures using autonomous underwater vehicles has emerged as a unique and challenging application of robotics. The problem poses rich questions in physical design and operation, perception and navigation, and planning, driven by difficulties arising from the acoustic environment, poor water quality and the highly complex structures to be inspected. In this paper, we develop and apply algorithms for the central navigation and planning problems on ship hulls. These divide into two classes, suitable for the open, forward parts of a typical monohull, and for the complex areas around the shafting, propellers and rudders. On the open hull, we have integrated acoustic and visual mapping processes to achieve closed-loop control relative to features such as weld-lines and biofouling. In the complex area, we implemented new large-scale planning routines so as to achieve full imaging coverage of all the structures, at a high resolution. We demonstrate our approaches in recent operations on naval ships.United States. Office of Naval Research (Grant N00014-06-10043)United States. Office of Naval Research (Grant N00014-07-1-0791

Solid-state high power radio frequency directed energy systems in support of USMC force protection operations

Service members are often vulnerable conducting entry control point operations in support of force or critical infrastructure protection. Historical evidence and tests from emerging technology suggest that solid-state high power radio frequency directed energy systems emit enough power to disrupt vehicle electronic systems without costly collateral damage to people or property. This thesis builds on previous research toward adding non-lethal tools, in the form of directed energy systems, for service members to utilize as part of entry control points. A combination of literature review, limited modelling, and field experimentation is used to explore whether directed energy is a viable, non-lethal tool for USMC entry control points. After detailed descriptions of force protection, directed energy, and a thorough system of systems analysis of the contemporary operating environment, this thesis offers an example of an entry control point augmented with a high-power radio frequency array. Further, this research recommends exploration of additional uses for this type of directed energy including counter-piracy and electronic ambush operations that utilize ground, air, and sea-based platforms.http://archive.org/details/solidstatehighpo1094545944Major, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Mine Action 2020: Book of Papers

Book of papers that was to be presented at the 2020 Mine Action Symposium in Croatia. The Symposium canceled due to COVID-19