Recent testing at Fort Hood, TX showed state-of-the-art autonomy for critically needed applications for the US Army.
Unmanned operations in snow and rain.
Owners Karl Murphy (L) and Alberto Lacaze (R) in front of an unmanned Stryker vehicle.
Multi-vehicle Planning and Coordination (MPAC) system
Multi-vehicle Planning and Coordination (MPAC) system is a Phase II SBIR that began in 2008. It is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. General Dynamics Robotic Systems is a subcontractor on this project.
MPAC is a multi-vehicle control architecture that reduces the burden on the unmanned systems operators while increasing both the effectiveness and efficiency. The ultimate goal of such a system is to create a true force-multiplier effect. This will be possible only when heterogeneous unmanned platforms can work together to perform high-level mission tasks in a dynamic environment with minimal operator involvement. This requires advanced robotic platforms, robotic autonomy, sensors, and operator control stations. MPAC will develop an architecture that utilizes multiple unmanned systems to achieve many mission goals simultaneously in a dynamic environment where the mission tasks, world model, and available assets are always changing.
The Robotic Research team will integrate MPAC and supporting technology onto several USVs and conduct in-water trials. Two of the unmanned test boats are owned by Robotic Research while the third boat will be supplied by GDRS.
