Download PDF - Department of Navy Chief Information Officer - U.S. ...

SSC Pacific Unveils Robotic Command and Control BreakthroughNew control paradigm significantly improves the functionality of robotic systems on the battlefield …By Ann DakisSpace and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific’s unmannedsystems branch recently demonstrated a revolutionary new approachto robotic command and control that allows a warfighterand robot to synergistically interact, much like a canine team. Theresult is a significant reduction in the control burden associatedwith operating current robotic systems, which opens up a widevariety of new applications previously viewed as impractical.Current man-portable robotic systems are too heavy fortroops to pack during extended missions in rugged terrain andtypically require more user support than can be justified by theirlimited return in force multiplication or improved effectiveness.As a consequence, today's systems appear organically attractiveonly in life-threatening scenarios, such as detection of chemical/biological/radiationhazards, mines or improvised explosivedevices.But SSC Pacific engineers are working to significantly increaserobotic functionality to enable robotic systems to perform usefultasks and improve their autonomy. The underlying objectiveof this development is to eliminate the need for expensive, bulkyrobot-specific operator control units, and rely instead on emergingtechnology that will include markedly improved perceptionand reasoning algorithms on the robots themselves.According to Bart Everett, chief engineer for robotics in SSCPacific's advanced systems division, the path forward to this remarkableachievement was fairly long and difficult.In April 2002, the very first man-portable robots deployedduring Operation Enduring Freedom were provided by SSC Pacificin support of Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) MobileUnit 3. SSC Pacific later played a key role in the large-scalefielding of such systems in February 2004, helping to procure167 commercial EOD robots from seven different vendors. Thenumber of robots employed in Iraq and Afghanistan today is estimatedat 6,000, and the subsequent saving of countless liveshas generated widespread user acceptance.Everett often points out that the use of unmanned systemson the battlefield is not as revolutionary as one might think.“What most people don’t realize is that there were more robotsused during World War II than we have in theater todayacross the operational domains of air, land and sea. Even moretelling, ground vehicle technology has not really changed allthat much in the past 65 years, in that our currently fielded systemsare still tele-operated, remotely driven by a human operator,”Everett said.From a command and control perspective, however, thereare a number of problems associated with tele-operation on thebattlefield. Foremost among these is the need for a high-bandwidthline-of-sight radio frequency link for passing real-timevideo back to the operator which severely limits the achievablestandoff. When communications are lost due to signal occlusionor multi-path interference, the mission is essentially over and, insome cases, it might not even be possible to recover the robot.Second, operators may become so immersed in driving therobot that their situational awareness may diminish, much like achild engrossed in a video game, which can be extremely dangerousunder hostile battlefield conditions.“In a nutshell, today’s warfighter considers the robot a majorasset since it saves lives, but the associated operator controlunit is viewed as a liability because it’s heavy, awkward and verylabor intensive [to operate],” Everett said. “Our approach hasbeen to make the robot more functional and intelligent, so itbecomes an even greater asset, while at the same time reducingthe frustration associated with command and control.”In 1991, the unmanned systems branch took the first steptoward easing the driving burden with the introduction of anew control paradigm known as “reflexive tele-operation.” Theoperator steers the robot remotely using a joystick or steeringwheel, but onboard sensors automatically detect and avoid anyperceived obstacles in the robot’s path.An analogy, Everett said, would be like riding a horse versusriding a motorcycle. “Point a motorcycle at a tree and you’regoing to hit the tree, whereas a horse will change course toavoid impact.”Gary Gilbreath, an engineer in the unmanned systems branch,holds a joint patent with Everett on the reflexive tele-operationconcept, which has since been incorporated into several automotive-sizerobotic vehicles, including the Army’s Mobile DetectionAssessment Response System. Size, weight and powerSSC Pacific’s ARMS development team, from left, Bart Everett, Estrellina Pacis,Greg Kogut, Gaurav Ahuja, Donnie Fellars and Brandon Sights.CHIPS October – December 2008 31