Mission Critical Winter 2012

7/29/2019 Mission Critical Winter 2012

1/48Mission CritiCal Winter 2012 1

VOLUME 2 NO.4 WINTER 2012 AUVSI 2700 South Qu inc Street , Su i te 400 , Ar l i ng ton , VA 22206 , USA

Insie this issue:

MEMS go unmanne

Localiing with liar

Taling to robots

Sensorsshow

the way


2/48

Not the Same Old Briefs

auvsi.org/usprDARPAsRobotics Challenge

Commercial

Applications

for UGVs

Precision

AgricultureACC Perspectives

on UAS Ops

UMVs in Offshore

Oil & Gas

UMVs & COLREGS

1214 Feb. 2013 THE RITZ-CARLTON, TYSONS CORNER McLEAN, Va., USA

Ground Day

Tuesday

12 Feb.

Air Day

Wednesday

13 Feb.

Maritime Day

Thursday

14 Feb.

3 D A Y S 3 D O M A I N S A L L S Y S T E M S

AUVSIs Unmanned Systems

Program Review cont inues

o be an invaluable forum for

nderstanding the nuances of

he defense and commercia l

autonomous robot ic market .

Rob Hughes,

Rockwel l Col l ins

Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon,

Director o Operations,

HQ ACC, U.S. Air Force

Mr. Steve Markofski,

Corporate Planning,

Yamaha Motor Corp.,

U.S.A

Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan,

Deputy Administrator

and Acting Chie Scientist,

NOAA

Dr. Missy Cummings,

Program Ofcer,

AACUS, ONR, U.S. Navy

Dr. Robert Ambrose,

Division Chie, Sotware,

Robotics and Simulation,

NASA

Dr. Karlin Toner,

Director,

JPDO, FAA

Speaker Lineup IncludesSpeaker Lineup Includes
http://www.auvsi.org/usprhttp://www.auvsi.org/uspr



4 EssentialcomponentsNews rom thesensors market

VOLUME 2 NO.4 WINTER 2012

8 Tiny andeverywhereA look at the unmannedMEMS movement

14Q&AJohn Marion, director opersistent surveillanceat Logos Technologies

On the cover:How a sel-driving car sees the world.The circles recreate how a lidar wouldperorm at 360-degree scan o the sur-roundings. The boxes are objects andthe green path is a map o the roadahead. For more on lidar technology,see the eature on Page 16. AUVSI im-age.

CONTENTS

22 State o the artA look at the security cameraswatching cities around the world

25 Pop culture cornerSensor ideas imagined byStar Trek that became reality

Page 8


4/482 Mission CritiCal Winter 2012

Mission Critical is published our times a year as an ofcial publication o the Association or Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Contents o the articles are the sole opinions othe authors and do not necessarily express the policies or opinion o the publisher, editor, AUVSI or any entity o the U.S. government. Materials may not be reproduced without writtenpermission. All advertising will be subject to publishers approval and advertisers will agree to indemniy and relieve publisher o loss or claims resulting rom advertising contents. Annualsubscription and back issue/reprint requests may be addressed to AUVSI.

Lost in space?How lidar ensures robots know more about their surroundings

26TimelineThe sensors paving theway or sel-driving cars

35Market report

Pivot to Asia drives new sensors

39Testing, TestingMesh networking: robotssetting up communications

41Technology gapADS-B tests may help expediteUAS ights in public airspace

43End usersIHMCs tongue sensorflls in or human sight

Page 16

Page 29Talking to robotsResearchers look or novel new ways to communicate withunmanned systems.



Editorial

Vice Presient of Communicationsan Publications, Eitor

Brett [email protected]

Managing EitorDanielle Lucey

[email protected]

Contributing WritersRamon Lopez

David Rockwell

Advertising

Senior Avertisingan Mareting Manager

Lisa [email protected]

+1 571 255 7779

A publication o

Presient an CEOMichael Toscano

Executive Vice PresientGretchen West

AUVSI Heaquarters2700 South Quincy Street, Suite 400

Arlington, VA 22206 USA+1 703 845 9671

[email protected]

Sensors dont always get the

credit that they deserve. With-

out them, robots and unmanned

systems would mostly be really ex-

pensive toys, incapable of detecting

and moving about their surround-

ings. Sensors of various types en-

able all the smart and sophisticated

motions and learning that will one

day make robotics as sophisticated

as their human creators. In an eort

to shine the spotlight on this often

looked over sector of robotics, AUVSI

dedicated this entire issue ofMission

Criticalto the topic.

Freelance writer, and former AUVSI

editor, Ramon Lopez tackled how

MEMS, or microelectromechanical,

sensors are making their way into a

multitude of smarter projects. Thesensors themselves are notable be-

cause of their tiny size, producing

astonishingly small products, like

photovoltaic cells for collecting so-

lar energy that are the size of eck

of glitter. He also explores how the

company Xsens is proliferating these

micro-sensors into unmanned tech-

nology. That story is on Page 8.

I spoke with AUVSI member com-pany Velodyne on its lidar, which

aids robots like the Google self-

driving cars, by helping them detect

the many moving objects in their

surroundings. The company got

its roots in the DARPA Grand Chal-

lenges, and now their product is

featured on an endless list of large

military ground vehicles. Leveraging

this laser-based, radar-like technol-

ogy enables object detection within

a centimeter of accuracy and could

one day be featured on every car on

the road. Read more about that on

Page 16.

Brett Davis, editor of Mission Criti-

cal and Unmanned Systems maga-

zine, tackles robotic communication,

which leverages many more senses

than a simple satellite transmission.

Computer giant IBM aims, within ve

years, to be able to relay textures,

the quietest of sounds and even

smell and taste over computers and

wireless networks. This technology

could smell disease before a person

even thinks to visit a doctor or hear

a mudslide days before it actually oc-

curs. Look for that story on Page 29.

In addition to those features, we

have many more departments that

encompass many other aspects of

sensing, like the possibly ubiquitous

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-

Broadcast system, a sensor that can

be placed on blind peoples tongues

that relays visual information and a

well-rounded market report writ-

ten by Teal Groups David Rockwell

that explores where future hot

spots in sensors will be. We hope

you enjoy it!

Editors message

Danielle Lucey
mailto:davis%40auvsi.org?subject=mailto:lucey%40auvsi.org?subject=mailto:fick%40auvsi.org?subject=mailto:info%40auvsi.org?subject=http://www.auvsi.org/mailto:davis%40auvsi.org?subject=mailto:lucey%40auvsi.org?subject=mailto:fick%40auvsi.org?subject=mailto:info%40auvsi.org?subject=http://www.auvsi.org/



Essential Components

Longest UAS ightaided by sensor

Although the company UAV Factory

broke the longest recorded ight

record for a small UAS, its supplier

Gill Sensors played a part in ensur-

ing the platform was able to makeits historic ight.

Gill Sensors developed a fuel level

sensor that enabled the Penguin B

UAS to stay in the air for 54.5 hours,

so it could accurately monitor the

fuel left in its 7.5-liter tank.

The task was challenging, since the

fuel tank had an irregular shape,

Gill also had to cut down on the

weight of the sensor, slicing it to 60

kilograms.

We were delighted when we were

told about this fantastic achieve

ment by UAV Factory, says Mike

Rees, head of marketing at Gill Sen-sors. Our design engineers relished

the challenge when we rst met UAV

Factory at AUVSIs Unmanned Sys

tems [North America] conference in

Washington in 2011, and were able

to utilize the proven microelectronic

level sensor technology that is cur

rently supplied by Gill into other

specialist applications, such as For

and space was extremely limited,

so the company could not mount

the sensor through the top of the

tank, as is custom. Engineers at Gill

created a unique sensor that could

instead be mounted to the side of

the tanks wall. The sensor used anangled probe to take measurements

of the tank depth.

Key to the excellent performance

and suitability of the Gill fuel sensor

for this aviation application is the

use of new microelectronics that of-

fers a 50 percent space saving com-

pared to standard electronics, said

the company in a press release.

When Penguin B made its record-breaking enduranceight, a custom Gill Sensors uel detector played apivotal role. Photo courtesy UAV Factory.


7/48



Essential Components continued rom Page 5

associate ickering things with ac-

tions, we associate actions with

objects and then we bring this ob-

ject to the attention of the user, he

says. Then by focusing their inten-

tion, the user is capable of inducing

which actions they would like with

the robot, and then this is translat-

ed.

HEARBO can hear you now

The Honda Research Institute-Japan

has developed a robot that can dif-

ferentiate between four sounds

at once, including voices, and tell

where they are coming from.

Such a capability could one day lead

to robots that are able to respond

to various verbal commands. In one

experiment with the robot, it took

food orders from four people speak-

ing at once and knew which person

ordered which dish.

The robot is named HEARBO, for

Hearing Robot, and the audio sys-

tem is named HRI-Japan Audition

for Robots with Kyoto University, or

HARK. The university is a partner on

the team developing the system.

We have the ability to consciously

or unconsciously listen to what we

want to hear when there is noise

around (cocktail party eect), but

this is not the case in robots and

their systems, HRI-Japan says on

its website. Furthermore, the sys-

tems have a severe limitation. In

general voice recognition systems,

all sounds input are recognized as

voices. Therefore, not only human

voices but music and sounds from a

television set are also recognized as

voices.

HARK overcomes that limitation, al

lowing the robot to recognize hu

man voices as being distinct from

other sounds.

By using HARK, we can record and

visualize, in real time, who spoke

and from where in a room, HRI

Japan says. We may be able to pick

up voices of a specic person in a

crowded area, or take minutes of a

meeting with information on who

spoke what by evolving this technol

ogy.

Integration is thename o the UAS game

Two recent announcements show

case how unmanned systems com

panies are teaming to integrate new

sensors and capabilities onto exist

ing platforms, expanding their capa

bility.

Insitu of Bingen, Wash., has teamed

with Melbourne, Australia-based

Sentient to incorporate its Kestre

land and maritime software detec

tion systems into Insitus unmanned

aircraft, including the ScanEagle and

Integrator.

The Kestrel software is able to auto

matically detect moving targets on

land or on the surface of the water.

Many ScanEagle customers already

use Kestrel to provide an automated

detection functionality and are very

satised with the results, says Simon Olsen, Sentients head of sales

and marketing. This agreement al

lows customers to benet from the

two technologies working together

seamlessly to enhance airborne ISR

missions.

sCan it Cck it:To see and hear HEARBO in action, click or

scan this barcode with your smartphone.

In one demonstration, HEARBO couldplay rock-paper-scissors by listeningto peoples voices and determinewho won. Image courtesy HRI-Japan.
http://bit.ly/USYCz7?r=qr



Ee Cmpe

Saab integrates Rokealtimeter onto Skeldar

Roke Manor Research Ltd. of the

United Kingdom has worked with

Saab to integrate its miniature ra-

dar altimeter into Saabs Skeldar

unmanned helicopter, increasing its

performance.

Rokes MRA Type 2 will be integrated

into the Skeldars landing system

to enable it to determine its height

above ground, even in misty or

dusty conditions.

Saabs Skeldar.

Roke Manors miniature radaraltimeter, now standard equipmenton Saabs Skeldar. Photo courtesyRoke Manor.

Rokes MRA will deliver the very high

accuracy required in order to be a

part of the avionics suite in Skeldar.This will eectively support Skel-

dars high autonomy during landing

to maximize the safe conclusion of

missions, says Jonas Carlsson, se-

nior product manager at Swedens

Saab. The MRAs compact size and

light weight also allows us to free up

space on Skeldar and maximize pay-

load.


10/48

M

8 Mission CritiCal Winter 2012

Meanwhile, automakers are step

ping up eorts to see if a car can

monitor driver stress or illness, sav

ing the operator from having an ac

cident. Vehicles with MEMS-based

biometric sensors would keep tabs

on drivers pulse and breathing. The

steering wheel would sense sweaty

palms, a possible prelude to a heart

attack or a fainting spell. The drivers

vital health signs would be fed into

a cars safety system that would

take action in an emergency. Cars

wouldnt start if a drunk driver gets

behind the wheel. Already, some

autos have steering sensors that de

tect drowsy drivers.

EMS devices tiny ma-

chines with moving parts

are everywhere these days, and

they have wrought a revolution for

shrinking sensors that operate un-

manned systems.

An acronym for microelectrome-

chanical, the shrunken sensors canbe found throughout daily technol-

ogies. Arrays of micromirrors, for

instance, enabled digital lm pro-

jectors, and MEMS gyros and accel-

erometers like those in Nintendos

Wii controller have changed gaming

forever. MEMS accelerometers pro-

vide orientation for smartphones

and image stabilization for digital

cameras. And smartphones speak-

ers incorporate one or more MEMS

microphones.

MEMS devices monitor air pressure

in car tires, and auto GPS devices

wont work without their MEMS-

based inertial navigation system.

Airbag crash sensors and side-im-pact airbags are lifesavers because

of MEMS accelerometers, as are

MEMS-based stability control sys-

tems that activate during hydro-

planes or skids. MEMS accelerators

control auto parking brakes, and

MEMS-based anti-rollover systems

are becoming standard t in auto-

mobiles.

Tiny and everywhere:

Unmanned memS movemenTUnmanned memS movemenTBy RAMON LOPEz



coaches could use it to measure

whether athletes have reached their

performance limits.

MC10, a startup U.S. company that

makes exible electronics, recently

unveiled a new product: a sports

skullcap that measures contact

sport impacts that could cause se-

vere concussions. The device is

thought to incorporate accelerome-

ters wired up with the rms stretch-

able electronics. The device can also

support research into combat brain

trauma.

The technology could lead to skin

patches that monitor whether the

wearer is suciently hydrated and

other adhesive patches that monitor

heartbeat, respiration, temperature

and blood oxygenation. The skin

patches can wirelessly transmit the

Devices, such as seatbelt-based res-

piration sensors, are getting cheap-

er and smaller through the magic

of MEMS. The technology could also

lead to self-driving cars that com-

bine articial intelligence software,

a global positioning system and an

array of sensors to navigate through

trac. Taxicabs might shuttle fareswithout a driver; people with medi-

cal conditions and ineligible for a

drivers license would get around

with a virtual chauer.

Digital health feedback systems use

MEMS sensors the size of a grain

of sand to detect medications and

record when they were taken. And

one day, electro-responsive bers

in sleepwear and soft electronics in

pillows will monitor your blood pres-

sure, sleep patterns and stress lev-

els while you slumber.

Researchers in Europe have devel-

oped a vest embedded with sensors

that measure the wearers muscle

tension and stress level. At the core

of the vest is wearable electronics

consisting of sensors woven into the

fabric that register the electrical ex-

citation of the muscle bers and thin

conducting metallic bers that pass

the signals to an electronic analysis

system.

Muscle tension changes with their

stress level. Though barely percep-

tible, electrodes register the change.

Electrodes axed to test subjects

chests induce stress, making clini-

cal test results of very little use. The

smart vest was developed for incon-

spicuous measuring during stress

studies. The vest can also contrib-

ute to workplace safety, and sports

Norways Northern Research Institute has developed anunmanned fxed-wing aircrat, named CryoWing, which can be

used or power line inspection, environmental monitoring (landand sea), aerial mapping and meteorological measurements.The CryoWing is well suited or operations in extremely coldweather. Xsens provides the CryoWings heading and attitudecontrol. Photo courtesy o Xsens.



MEMS continued rom Page 9 that could revolutionize the way so

lar energy is collected and used. The

tiny cells fastened to clothing could

turn a person into a walking solar

battery charger. The cells are fabri

cated using MEMS techniques.

MEMS goes unmanned

Nowhere has MEMS penetration

been more pronounced than the

area of sensors and avionics for un

manned systems.

Founded in 2000, Xsens is a privately

held company with headquarters in

Enschede, Netherlands, and a U.S

subsidiary in Los Angeles. The found-

ers were interested in measuring

the performance of athletes, and a

company was born with launch of a

measurement unit used for human

motions and industrial applications

Clients include Sony Pictures Im-

agework, Daimler, Sagem, Siemens

Saab Underwater Systems and

Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Xsens is a leading innovator in 3-D

motion tracking technology and

products based upon MEMS inertiasensor technology. Since its incep

tion in 2000, several thousands of

motion sensors and motion capture

solutions have successfully been

ten fall short in terms of output, as

many of todays applications require

higher power levels.

This technology breakthrough uses

a low-cost polymer transducer that

has metalized surfaces for electric

contact. Unlike conventional ceram-

ic transducers, the polymer-based

generator is soft and robust, match-

ing the properties of regular shoe

llings. The transducer can there-

fore replace a regular heel on shoes.

Scientists at the University of Penn-

sylvania think along the same lines,

having developed a power-generat-

ing backpack. The suspended-loadbackpack converts mechanical en-

ergy from walking into electricity.

It incorporates a rigid frame pack.

Rather than being rigidly attached to

the frame, a sack carrying the load

is suspended from the frame by

vertically oriented springs. It is this

vertical movement of the backpack

contents that provides the mechani-

cal energy to drive a small generator

mounted on the frame.

Meanwhile, Sandia National Labo-

ratories scientists have developed

tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells

medical data to a smartphone. One

day, an inatable balloon catheter

equipped with sensors will snake

through the heart to treat cardiac

arrhythmias.

Surgery to treat strokes, hardened

arteries or blockages in the blood-

stream may be helped by MEMS-

based micromotors small enough to

be injected into the human blood-

stream.

Australian researchers are harness-

ing piezoelectricity to power mi-

crobot motors just a quarter of a

millimeter wide. Remote-controlled

miniature robots small enough toswim up arteries could save lives

by reaching parts of the body, like a

stroke-damaged cranial artery, that

catheters are unable to reach.

With the right sensors attached to

the microbot motor, a surgeons

view of a patients troubled artery

can be enhanced and the ability to

work remotely also increases the

surgeons dexterity.Researchers at Louisiana Tech Uni-

versity are taking a dierent tack re-

garding piezoelectricity. They have

developed a technology that har-

vests power from small generators

embedded in the soles of shoes. It is

based on new voltage regulation cir-

cuits that eciently convert a piezo-

electric charge into usable voltage

for charging batteries or for directlypowering electronics. The technolo-

gy, for example, could power emer-

gency locators for lost hikers or cell

phones.

Energy harvesting is an attractive

way to power MEMS sensors and lo-

cator devices such as GPS. However,

power-harvesting technologies of-

Xsens MTi are used or navigation andcontrol on SAABs multipurpose underwatervehicles. Photo courtesy o Xsens.



deployed in areas such as 3-D char-

acter animation, rehabilitation and

sports science, and robot and cam-

era stabilization.

Xsens ocials have found new uses

for MEMS sensors initially designed

for rollover detection and impact

detection in cars and MEMS gyro-

scopes used in smartphones and

game controllers.

It is a market leader in MEMS iner-

tial measurement units (IMUs), at-

titude and heading reference sys-

tems (AHRS) and inertial navigation

systems (INS). Xsens IMU consists of

3-D gyroscopes, 3-D accelerometers

and a 3-D magnetometer. The AHRS

adds ltering to that, estimating 3-D

orientation based on the IMU sen-

sor data. An INS additionally uses

the accelerometers to nd velocity

and position, using GPS as a refer-

ence. Xsens oers an alternative

average 2 inches in length, 1.5 inch-

es in width and 1 inch in height. A

traditional IMU, for example, snugly

ts into a 4-inch cube.

He said Xsens uses the same MEMS

hardware used by the automotive

industry, such as smart seatbelts,

but for a dierent application: sta-

bilization and control of unmanned

systems, whether air, maritime or

ground vehicles. Xsens also applies

the technology for camera systems

or platform systems that need to be

stabilized.

Xsens, says van Hak, provides sys-

tems for the smaller unmanned

aircraft, weighing between 3 and

300 pounds. The rm is aboard un-

manned aerial systems made by

Delft Dynamics and Area-Is PTERA

(Prototype Technology Evalua-

tion Research Aircraft). He said his

equipment is also on several robotic

underwater vehicles.

The MTi-G-700 GPS/INS is the suc-

cessor of the MTi-G introduced in

2007. Deliveries of the MTi-G-700

GPS/INS started in December 2012.

The MTi-100 series can serve as a

cost-eective replacement unit for

high-grade IMUs, making the end

product more economically viable.

The MTi-G-700 GPS/INS is now be-

ing used to navigate an unnamed

European target drone, replacing -

ber optic gyros in test aircraft. Xsens

established that the unit can cope

with very high accelerations during

launch and cornering. With similar

performance to the ber optic gyro

it replaced, the unit is 15 to 20 per-

cent lower in cost, produces a weight

savings and provides more room for

payload, says van Hak.

He said the MTi-G-700 GPS/INS will

work with other target drones and

unmanned air systems. We are

searching for additional customers.

We are in discussions with three

other customers who are actively

considering the MTi-G-700 GPS/INS

for their target drones.

The MTi OEM is a board-only version othe Xsen MTi. The housing-less MTi OEMis a small and ultra-light (11-gram) AHRSwith the same unctionality as the regularMTi. Photo courtesy Xsens.

Area-Is PTERA provides a bridge between wind tunnel testing and manned ightby providing a low-risk, low-cost platorm to ight test high-risk technologies.The 200-pound aircrat has a 50-pound payload capacity. The unmanned

aircrat operates with an Xsens MTi-G INS. Photo courtesy Xsens.

to bulky and heavy ber optic IMUs

and ring-laser gyros, shrinking simi-

lar tracking performance in a signi-

cantly smaller package. Xsens is able

to oer high performance in a pack-

age that is tens of times smaller thanthe traditional IMUs and INS used

for sonar and unmanned aircraft,

according to company ocials.

Marcel van Hak, Xsens product

manager for industrial applications,

says his product line wouldnt exist

if not for MEMS technology. Using

MEMS subcomponents allows Xsens

to produce IMUs, AHRS and INS that

Xsens makes systems that keep

telecommunications satellites and

roving vehicles, whether trucks or

maritime vessels, connected. He

said half of the rms earnings come

from that application.The Dutch companys current

MTi product portfolio in-

cludes the MTi-10 IMU, the

MTi-20 VRU (Vertical Refer-

ence Unit) and the MTi-30 AHRS.

The MTi 100-series includes the MTi-

100 IMU, MTi-200 VRU and MTi-300

AHRS.



We have integrated the Xsens MTi-

G AHRS sensor with a range of prod-

ucts designed for installation on

land, sea and air platforms, includ-

ing tactical and rotary wing aircraft,

says Paul Wynns, aircraft systems

program manager at Argon ST, a

wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing.

We value the Xsens MTi product

line for its ease of integration, reli-

ability and accuracy, along with its

small size and rugged packaging.

Xsens is not alone in supplying

MEMS-based sensors to the un-

manned systems industry.

MicroStrain is a Vermont businessspecializing in combining microsen-

sors with embedded processors to

autonomously track operational

usage and to navigate and control

unmanned systems. It has the 3DM-

GX3-45 GPS/INS for vehicle tracking,

camera pointing, antenna pointing,

and unmanned aerial and micro

vehicle navigation and the 3DM-

GX3-35 AHRS with GPS. Mi-

croStrain also oers the

3DM-GX3-15 IMU and

Vertical Gyro. The

3DM-GX3-15 is a

miniature IMU that

utilizes MEMS sen-

sor technology and

combines a triaxial

accelerometer and a

triaxial gyro to main-

tain the inertial per-

formance of the original GX3-25. Ap-

plications include unmanned vehicle

navigation and robotic control.

Two other players in the eld are

De Leon Springs, Fla.-based Spar-ton with its AHRS-8 MEMS-based

attitude heading reference system.

Dallas-based Tronics has introduced

a high-performance angular rate

sensor (gyrometer) for demand-

ing applications such as platform

stabilization. The product is based

on Tronics long-standing expertise

in high-end inertial sensors using

MEMS-on-SOI and high-vacuum wa-fer-level packaging technologies.

Trends in manuacturing

MEMS have revolutionized every

market in which they play, but the

trend for the still-nascent mini tech-

nology is just beginning. Analysts

predict rapid growth for the types of

MEMS now in widespread use and in

the making.

MEMS devices, especially motion

sensors like accelerometers, have

changed consumer electronics for-

ever and, more recently, have en-

abled an emerging market for fa-

cial recognition, motion-controlled

apps, location-based services, aug-

mented reality and pressure-based

altimeters.

The growing use of disposable

medical devices and respiratory

monitoring is due to MEMS tech-

nology. The most common medica

pressure sensor is the disposable

catheter to monitor blood pressure

Another type if disposable, low-cost

MEMS pressure sensor is the infu

sion pump used to introduce u

ids, medication and nutrients into a

patients circulatory system. MEMS

pressure sensors are used in respi-

ratory monitoring, such as the Con-

tinuous Positive Air Pressure device

used to treat sleep apnea, and oxy

gen therapy machines.

MEMS devices will proliferate as

cheaper manufacturing techniques

for the micro machines are devel-

oped. Massachusetts Institute of

Technology researchers have found

a way to manufacture them by

stamping them on plastic lm, open

ing up the possibility of coating large

areas with tiny sensors.

That should signicantly reduce

their cost, but it also opens up the

possibility of large sheets of sensors

that could, say, cover the wings of an

airplane to gauge their structural in

tegrity. The printed devices are also

exible, so they could be used to

make sensors with irregular shapes

MEMS continued rom Page 11

The Delt BioroboticsLabs FLAME robot is anactive walker that usesthe MTi or its s tability.Photo courtesy Xsens.

Northrop Grumman supplies the fber optic, gyrocompassing LCR-100 AHRS or EmbraerLegacy 500 and Legacy 450 aircrat. The LCR-100 AHRS provides navigation inormationregarding the aircrats position, heading and attitude. Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman



And since the stamping process dis-

penses with the harsh chemicals

and high temperatures ordinarily re-

quired for the fabrication of MEMS,

it could allow them to incorporate a

wider range of materials.

Conventional MEMS are built

through the same process used to

manufacture computer chips, which

is called photolithography: dierent

layers of material are chemically de-

posited on a substrate usually a

wafer of some semiconducting ma-

terial and etched away to form

functional patterns.

Photolithography requires sophisti-

cated facilities that can cost billions

of dollars, so MEMS manufacturing

has high initial capital costs. And

since a semiconductor wafer is at

most 12 inches across, arranging

todays MEMS into large arrays re-

quires cutting them out and bond-

ing them to some other surface.

Besides serving as sensors to gauge

the structural integrity of aircraft

and bridges, sheets of cheap MEMS

could also change the physical tex-

ture of the surfaces theyre applied

to, altering the airow over a planes

wing, or modifying the reective

properties of a buildings walls or

windows.

How they did it: The MIT process be-

gins with a grooved sheet of a rub-

bery plastic, which is coated with

the electrically conductive material

indium tin oxide. The researchers

use what they call a transfer pad

to press a thin lm of metal against

the grooved plastic. Between the

metal lm and the pad is a layer of

organic molecules that weaken the

metals adhesion to the pad. If the

researchers pull the pad away fast

enough, the metal remains stuck to

the plastic.

Once the transfer pad has been

ripped away, the metal lm is left

spanning the grooves in the plastic

like a bridge across a series of ra-

vines. Applying a voltage between

the indium-tin-oxide coating and the

lm can cause it to bend downward,

into the groove in the plastic: The

lm becomes an actuator the

moving part in a MEMS device.

Varying the voltage would cause the

lm to vibrate, like the diaphragm

of a loudspeaker. Selectively bend-

ing dierent parts of the lm would

cause them to reect light in dier-

ent ways, and dramatically bending

the lm could turn a smooth surface

into a rough one. Similarly, if pres-

sure is applied to the metal lm, it

will generate an electric signal that

the researchers can detect. The

lm is so thin that it should be able

to register the pressure of sound

waves.

Next steps

The researchers are working on bet-

ter ways to bond the metal lms to

the plastic substrate, so that they

dont have to rely on tearing the

transfer pad away quickly to get the

lm to stick. Theyre also developing

prototypes of some of the applica-

tions they envision for the technol-

ogy.

Ramon Lopez is an aviation, aerospace

and defense journalist who previously

served as editor-in-chief of Air Safety

Week, editor of AUVSIs Unmanned

Systems and Washington Correspon-

dent for Flight International, Janes

Defence Weekly and International De-

fense Review.

Australias EM Solutions was awardeda contract to develop a MountedBattle Command Ka-band SatcomOn-The-Move System by the AustralianDeence Force. The system employs anMti-G AHRS. Photo courtesy Xsens.



But even as we collect imagery of a

city-sized area, we dont intend to

look at all the data, only the parts

that matter, directed by clues from

other sources.

We can think of big data from a cou

ple of dierent angles. For example

there is the storage issue. But asdisks get cheaper and denser, this

becomes less of a problem.

Then there is the data transfer is

sue. But by using novel compres

sion techniques, we can compress

the imagery by 50 times. And we can

compress the data by 1,000 times i

we just represent the moving targets

and dont update the background

map.

Q:Can you describe howintelligent persistentsurveillance systems work?

A: Many in the persistent surveil

lance eld tend to focus on the plat

form, be it xed wing, rotary wing

and lighter than air. Others look a

the sensors that go on those plat

Q & A with John MarionQ & a

military setting, where the target is

the Taliban, or in a local police sce-

nario, where the target is an urban

drug smuggling operation.

Q:Has the militarys

use of these systemschanged in the years sincethey frst became available?

A: In terms of basic uses, much has

stayed the same since the U.S. Army

deployed the rst wide-area persis-

tent surveillance system, Constant

Hawk, on turboprop planes back in

2006. What has improved is how we

task assets, use persistent surveil-

lance imagery with other intelligencesources and cross-cue dierent sen-

sors. In addition, we are now putting

a strong emphasis on the automa-

tion and eciency of analysis tools

a concept we call intelligent per-

sistent surveillance, or IPS.

Q:What is the best wayto cope with the mas-sive amounts of data suchsystems can provide?

A: The issue of big data is usually

framed the following way: How can

we possibly look at all this data?

Thats the wrong way to think about

the problem.

We collect all this data because we

dont know when, where or what

sort of the bad things will happen.

Q:What does persistentsurveillance bring tothe table, both for militaryand civilian users?

A: While standard full-motion video

cameras only have a soda straw

eld of view, wide-area persistent

surveillance systems can provide

video coverage of city-sized areas.

They do this at medium resolution,

enough to track vehicles and people

in real time. On the battleeld, these

systems provide over watch, giving

the warghter greater situational

awareness and the user the ability to

monitor multiple areas or targets at

one time, from one sensor.

Wide-area persistent surveillance

systems also give analysts a way of

back-tracking events. For example,

suppose an IED was found by the

side of the road the sensor op-

erator could use the stored sensor

imagery to go back in time to dis-

cover when the IED was emplaced.

He could then go even further back

to nd out where the emplacer came

from. Finally, he could fast forward

to where the emplacer went after

planting the IED.

By using clues gleaned from the

stored sensor data, we could even-

tually map out a whole network of

individuals, right up to the groups

leadership. And thats both true in a

John Marion

John Marion is the director of the persistent surveillance division of Logos Technologies

in Fairfax, Va., which offers systems for the wide area surveillance, remote sensing, cybersecurity and other areas.



forms. However, the real challenge

with the new persistent surveillance

systems is the data analysis. Thats

why attention should be directed to

IPS.

IPS tools index data by transactions

geo-temporally tagging the starts

and stops of all the targets within a

eld of view and then storing that

information. When geo-temporal

tagging is done across various intel-

ligence sources, analysts can quickly

search recorded sensor data for tar-

gets at a specic location and over

a specic time period, eciently ex-

ploiting those intelligence sources.

So, as you can see, IPS goes way be-

yond the platform, sensor and mere

data collection. It gives the analysts

a means of eciently extracting the

intelligence value from the available

data. That means fewer analysts pro-

ducing better products, much faster.

Q:Are aerostats the bestplatform for such sys-tems, or do they make sense

for smaller systems as well?A: The platform choice really de-

pends on the application. Aerostats

are great for surveilling xed loca-

tions, such as the perimeter area of

a forward operating base, or FOB, in

Afghanistan and urban areas along

the U.S.-Mexico border. By contrast,

unmanned aircraft are best used

when the target location changes

frequently or where friendly forcesdont control the ground.

This is why we have developed intelli-

gent persistent surveillance systems

for both aerostats and unmanned

aircraft.

Our Kestrel system is mounted on

an aerostat located at a FOB. The

system collects about 350 megapix-

els of day/night data per second in

the air, while the processing can be

performed on the ground with rela-

tively large processing computers.

We can do this because we send the

imagery data down through a ber-

optic cable in the aerostat tether.

We also developed an IPS system for

tactical, xed-wing unmanned aerial

systems. Called LEAPS, it provides

ISR to ground forces on the move.

So it cannot pump persistent surveil-

lance imagery down a tether to large

computers on the ground

Instead, LEAPS performs all the pro-

cessing, geo-registration, nonunifor-

mity correction, etc., in an 11-pound

processor that shares a gimbal with

the wide-area sensor.

Q:Youve said that suchsystems have home-land security applications.Can you describe a couple ofthem?

A: We have demonstrated both air-

craft- and aerostat-based wide-area

persistent surveillance along thesouthern border. With these sys-

tems, we can track illegal activity in

both rural and urban areas, focusing

on illegal border crossing and map-

ping networks of drug trackers op-

erating in the urban areas.

This past March, the Department

of Homeland Security conducted a

weeklong test of an aerostat system

in Nogales, Ariz. The demonstrationwas very successful. The Customs

and Border Protection agents found

it easy to work with the wide-area

persistent surveillance system, and

within seven days, they nabbed 100

suspects.

Likewise, a couple of years ago, we

demonstrated LEAPS on a manned

aircraft for more dynamic border se-

curity operations.

Q:Is there any commer-cial potential for suchsystems as well?

A: Theres denitely a strong domes-

tic market for them. Besides locallaw enforcement, wide-area persis-

tent surveillance could be used for

disaster relief, public event security

and environmental missions, like

mapping the location of oil slicks in

an oshore spill or counting polar

bears over a large swath of Arctic

wilderness.

Q:Assuming there iscommercial potential,

how can the issue of privacybest be handled?

A: I think its good that the UAS in-

dustry is thinking about the privacy

issue. In the case of persistent sur-

veillance systems used for law en-

forcement, I would point out that

they are like any other police tool,

and their use will have to be gov-

erned by strict rules and regulations.

We already have police helicopters;

airborne persistent surveillance sys-

tems just stay in the air longer.

Q:What technologicalhurdles, if any, remainto be overcome for persistentsurveillance?

A: We will continue to improve the

sensors miniaturizing them andexpanding beyond black and white

imagery and into the to multi- and

hyper-spectral area. Still, the largest

challenges are in IPS as we develop

the tools to make sensor analysts

faster, more ecient and able to de-

liver better products. Thats the area

that needs the most focus.



arning: Objects in your mirror are

closer than they appear. And robot-

ics has the answer for bringing that

archaic notion into the 21st century.

Most drivers might currently use a

series of mirrors to determine their

surroundings, but for many robots,

including the Google car, lidar is

proving a better substitute than a

quick glance and a prayer.

If youre driving on the street and

somebody passes you, you want to

know if somebody comes from be-

hind before you start a passing ma-

neuver, says Wolfgang Juchmann,

product marketing manager at Ve-

lodyne Acoustics lidar division. Es-

sentially each time you look in yourrearview mirror, you want to look

backwards.

Velodyne Lidars sensors provide

this capability on a lot of high-pro-

le projects. It makes the sensor

of choice for Googles self-driving

car program, Oshkoshs TerraMax,

Lockheed Martins Squad Mission

By dANIELLE LUCEy

Support System and TORC Robot-

ics Ground Unmanned Support Sys-

tem, to name a few. They also were

tapped by rock band Radiohead to

create their Grammy-nominated

House of Cards music video.

The company got its start as a spi-

no of the DARPA Grand Challenges,

where company founders David and

Bruce Hall entered the competitions

as Team Digital Audio Drive, or DAD.

The brothers had previous robotics

experience in competitions such as

BattleBots, Robotica and Robot

Wars in the beginning of the 2000s.

After the rst Grand Challenge, the

Halls realized all the teams had a

sensor gap they could ll. Stereovi-

sion was not good enough for the

task, so they invented the HDL-64

lidar in 2005 and entered the sec

ond Grand Challenge with the sen

sor, though a steering control board

failure ended their run prematurely

By 2006, the company started selling

a more compact version of the sen-

sor, the HDL-64E. By then, the teams

were gearing up for DARPAs Urban

Challenge event. Instead of enter

ing the competition themselves, the

brothers sold their device to other

competitors. Five out of the six

teams that nished used their lidar

including the top two teams.

sCan it Cck it:

Click or scan this barcode with your smartphone

to see Radioheads House of Cards video, which

was shot using Velodynes lidar. The video shows how

many robots use the sensor to perceive their environment.

W

Lostinspace?HowlidarensuresrobotsknowmoreabouttHeirsurroundings
http://bit.ly/TV2cqH?r=qrhttp://bit.ly/TV2cqH?r=qr



How lidar works

Though the device proved a break-

through in autonomous sensing

technology, lidar is not a new con-

cept.

The lidar itself is a technology thatsbeen around for a long time, says

Juchmann. The laser beam hits an

object and the object reects light

back. The time this takes tells us

how far away the object is and the

amount of light reected back gives

us an idea about the reectivity of

the object.

Lidar works in a similar way to radar,

in that it measures the time it takesfor a signal to return to its point of

origin, though it ditches radio waves

for laser beams. Because of the dif-

ferent nature of the two mediums,

while radar excels at measuring far-

away objects, Velodynes sweet spot

is in the 100-meter radius range,

says Juchmann. However, lidar over-

all has a better angular resolution.

What makes Velodynes product dif-ferent than simple lidar

technology, explains

Juchmann, is that instead of using

one laser to determine an objects

range, it uses 64.

Instead of just shooting one laser

to the wall, we shoot 64 all on top of

each other so if you look at the wall

youll see a [vertical] line of dots,

says Juchmann. This means you

can see a wall with a resolution of

64 lines in a vertical eld of view of

about 26 degrees.

Instead of measuring the time-to-

distance correlation of this series

of dots at the same time, Velodyne

measures them one after the other,

in a series, to capture the distancedata from each point. If you were

shooting the lasers toward a at wall,

it would be a fairly easy measure-

ment, says Juchmann, because the

laser data would return almost si-

multaneously. However, if the series

of laser points were ashed toward

a staircase, it would mark faster re-

turns on the lower-level stairs and

longer returns as the steps ascend,

giving the user an idea of the varying

distances.

The measurement of a single vertical

line in space is not very useful though,

especially to large cars trying to navi-

gate their environment at fairly high

speeds. Velodynes sensor also spins

these 64 points, so there are 64 lines

moving through the whole room.

The amazing part is the amount of

data that is measured in a very short

time, he says.

A human blink lasts about two-fths

of a second. In that time span, Velo-

dynes lidar has done a 360-degree

scan of its surroundings four times.

This 10-times-per-second scan pro-

duces 1.3 million data points per

second. At this speed, lidar can get

in a centimeters range of accuracy in

measuring an objects location. While

much older methods, like surveying,

can measure an objects accuracy in

the smaller, millimeter range, high-

denition lidars speed versus break-

ing out some tripods is no contest.

After the success of the companys

HDL-64E, it has also released the

HDL-32E, which uses the same con-

cept but uses 32 laser points insteadof 64. This is useful for smaller ve-

hicles, because Velodynes HDL-32E

lidar weighs 1 kilogram, versus 15 ki-

lograms for double the laser points.

This is a huge factor when people

want to mount their lidar on some-

thing lighter, explains Juchmann. Its

also less than half the price.

Velodynes lidar mountedatop Googles sel-drivingLexus. Photo courtesy Google.



To make all this data useful, compa-

nies integrate Velodynes lidar data

with GPS and IMU data to determine

how their robots should move.

The vehicle needs to know where ex-

actly it is, says Juchmann. Typically

you have to feed in GPS information

so you know where you actually are.

With our sensor you can integrate

and synchronize GPS information

in order to determine not only the

range, but also were you are.

The IMU compensates for move-

ments and angles that inherently oc-

cur when the sensor is moved in real

life. The key to all this data, though,

is the software each company cre-ates that analyzes it all.

The Google self-driving car, for in-

stance, integrates this data with its

Google Maps product so the robot

will know the long-range terrain data

and also can detect if, for example, a

bicyclist is coming up behind the car

that is about to turn.

If you have a robot or a self-driving

car that moves around, its impor-

tant to see whats around it, says

Juchmann.

Not all of the technological aspects

of lidar have been overcome. Lidar

sensors are aected, the same way

human eyes are, by low-visibility sit-

uations. For instance, the laser beam

can detect drops of rain, but if the

rain is heavy enough it might view

a downpour as an object. Juchmann

likens it to watching an antenna TV

with some white noise.

You still see a picture, but only once

in a while you have the full picture. If

the rain becomes really, really heavy,you have more rain than picture.

The same is true for fog and snow-

fall. If you have a little bit of that its

all ne, and computer algorithms

can gure out the once-in-a-while re-

ection, but if its heavy snowfall the

reections will outweigh the actual

picture, explains Juchmann.

Other applications

Lidar has a lot of applications out-

side robotics. Right now, Velodyne is

addressing the security and surveil

lance market, says Juchmann, which

could use lidar to monitor military

perimeters and border fences. Right

now, many fences are monitored

with cameras, which at their best

have around 130-degree elds of

view.

Another big market that uses lidar

is mobile mapping. Transportation

department contractors put the sen-

sors on manned vehicles and, using

cameras and other sensors, give

state transportation departments information on the conditions of bridg

es and roads. The accurate mapping

provides an idea of roadwork and

maintenance that needs to be done.

AAI Textron uses Velodynes lidar

on its Common Unmanned Surface

Vehicle, to determine if there are in

truders in the immediate vicinity and

for collision avoidance.

Lidar continued rom Page 17

How the Google car sees the path and obstaclesahead, using lidar integrated with other data

and sensors. Photo courtesy Google.


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422,000 cameras in London(2012, CCTV.co.uk)

2,200 cameras in Sydney(2009, Daily Telegraph)

300 cameras in Paris, plans to installmore than 1,100 more (2012, France 24)

400,000 cameras in Beijing(2011, Beijing Daily)

500,000 cameras in Chongqing,China (2012, VinTechnology.com)

184 cameras in Johannesburg central policingdistrict (2003, Book: Rainbow Tenement:Crime and Policing in Inner Johannesburg)

While UAS are known for their 60,000-foot view of areas of interest around the globe, many surveillance

cameras are eyeing the residents of major cities mere feet from street level. While its dicult to get au-

thoritative numbers, here is a compilation of what the Mission Criticalsta could nd.


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ship invisible (Harry Potter has

since borrowed the idea on a smaller

level).

While this, too, has not yet come to

pass, the eld of metamaterials is

taking a look at it, so to speak, by

altering the path of light as it moves

through special materials. Numer-

ous universities around the world

are working on it, some funded by

government agencies. Scientists at

the University of Texas in Austin re-

cently revealed that they had cloaked

a cylinder from the microwave part

of the energy spectrum, although,

sadly, the scientists could still see it.

Eventually, however, such an appli-

cation could be useful to warplanes,

which is essentially what the Romu-

lans used it for.

What we are thinking about is not

necessarily cloaking the whole war-

plane but some hot spots, a part suchas the tailplane that you would want

to cloak because it reects most of

the energy from microwaves, one

of the researchers said in the New

Journal of Physics.

Star Trek also had the Phaser, a

raygun that could be set to stun or

kill. At the time, the only existing

technology was the regular gun,

which had only one setting.

In 1969 right about the time the

original Star Trek series was can-

celed a NASA employee named

Jack Cover began working on a stun

gun that used small tethered darts

to disable opponents. In the mid-

1970s he had nished his work on

the Taser.

From Star Trek to your house:Communicators, phasers and other ideas that came true PoP CUltUrE CornEr

Various researchers have built

something resembling the Tricorder,

but if youd like to try your hand at

it, the X Prize Foundation this year

kicked o the Tricorder X Prize, a $10

million competition to develop a mo-

bile solution that could diagnose pa-

tients better than a panel of board-

certied physicians. The prize is a

collaboration with Qualcomm Inc.,

and the team used the son of Star

Trek creator Gene Roddenberry to

promote it.

Its great to see two amazing orga-

nizations bring the technology

of Star Trek to life and make the

Tricorder a reality for people every-

where, Eugene Wesley Gene Rod-

denberry Jr. said in a press release.

Star Trek also had the very futuris-

tic transporters, which could beam

anybody most anywhere. Like the

Tricorder, such an invention hasalso proven to be a bridge too far,

although here, too, science is giving

it whirl.

In the November issue of AUVSIs Un-

manned Systems magazine, writer Di-

anne Finch reported on the phenom-

enon of quantum entanglement,

where particles, such as photons,

can be linked over great distances. If

you change the state of one, the oth-er changes to match. While this has

given rise to technologies that may

be able to use this eect, such as

quantum computers, the teleporter

remains well out of reach for now.

The eld of spooky science has also

tackled another Star Trek technol-

ogy, the Romulan cloaking device,

which could render an entire space-

T

hey had some cool stu in the

TV show Star Trek even in

the original show, where the sets

were sometimes cardboard and the

aliens looked a lot like humans wear-

ing body paint.

One memorable piece of equipment

was the communicator, a ip-top

walkie-talkie that was truly revolu-

tionary in the late 1960s. Back then,

when most homes had party-line ro-

tary phones, being able to ip open a

little box to talk was miraculous.In the intervening decades, it has be-

come much less so. While the origi-

nal cell phones of the early 1980s

were clunky beasts that barely made

phone calls, they have morphed into

designs that would make Capt. Kirk

quite envious. Well, in most ways

the Star Trek communicators could

operate over vast distances and

rarely seemed to drop calls.Martin Cooper, who created the rst

personal cell phone while working at

Motorola, has cited the Star Trek

communicator as his inspiration. He

hated talking on wired devices, and

envied the freedom he saw on TV, so

he helped create it.

Another nifty device was the Tri-

corder, a doodad about the size of

a tape recorder (now an obsolete

piece of equipment) that could scan

a surrounding area and analyze it.

Various versions appeared on the TV

show and its ospring, including a

medical version that could diagnose

illnesses. Alas, this is one area where

science has yet to catch up, though

not for lack of trying.



Driving actorstiMElinE

GPS

Though GPS existed long before

1998 in military technology, President Bill Clin-

ton signed a law requiring the military to stop

scrambling the systems of civilian GPS signals, so

the general public could benet from the technol-

ogy. This move paved the way for in-car navigation

devices, which Googles eet of self-driving cars rely

on for mapping.

ElEctronic cruiSE control

Automotive Electronic Cruise Control was invented in1968 by an engineer for RCAs Industrial and Automotive Systems

Division. One of the two patents led describes digital memory, where

electronics would play a role in controlling a car an industry rst.

Antilock brAkinG SyStEm

Though the technology was originally developed for aircraft

in 1929, Antilock Braking Systems got their automotive debut in 1971

through a technology called Sure Brake on that years Chrysler Imperial.

AdAPtivE cruiSE control

The Mitsubishi Diamante was the rst to use laser-based

adaptive cruise control; however, instead of applying the brakes, the

car would simply throttle down to a lower speed. Toyota added braking

control to its radar-based cruise control system in 2000.

bAckuP wArninG SiGnAlS

In 1996, the National Highway Trac Safety Administration

tested backup warning signals, where ultrasonic sensors on arear bumper and audible warnings work together to allow

drivers to get a sense of how close an object is to the

back of their car. Through these systems, the aver-

age driver is able to stop a vehicle from hitting an

object in 1.5 seconds, with little dierence in

response times by age group.

1968

1971

1995

1996

1998



Although Google and auto manufacturers have made a lot of inroads into self-driving cars, technologies like lidar

and Google Maps rest on the shoulders of a lot of sensor work thats been going on under the hood for decades.

Heres a look at some of the formative sensor suites that have enabled more autonomy in our automobiles.

trAffic jAm ASSiSt

Volvo recently announced that its trac jam assist

feature would be ready by 2014, allowing drivers to keep

their hands o the wheel in low-speed, high-conges-

tion situations. The technology will work in traf-

c owing at less than 30 mph.

lAnE kEEPinGNissan was the rst company to oer a lane-keeping system on

its Cima, which it sold in Japan. The rst car available stateside didnt debut

until 2004, and Europe got the technology in 2005.

PArkinG ASSiSt

Lexus and Toyota introduced the world to the Intelligence Parking Assist System,

which uses a rear-facing camera to guide a car into a spot and also helps avoid objects. The

system has a series of arrows that help the driver tell how he is aligned in a space. Usingthese arrows, the driver would determine the parameters of the spot and press Set, allow-

ing the car to park on its own. The system debuted in the United States in 2006.

AdvAncEd front-liGhtinG SyStEm

Pan-European research and development rm EUREKA

worked to develop front-lighting systems, which use sensors to automati-

cally make the headlines of a car work directionally. This around-the-cor-

ner lighting system was actually featured on cars dating back to the late

1920s, however it was mechanical instead of automated.

blind SPot dEtEction

In 2005, Volvo introduced its Blind Spot Information System, which

used a camera-based system to keep an eye on the area alongside and near the

rear of its XC70, V70 and S60 models. The system uses warning lights to inform

the driver when another vehicle enters this area.

2001

2003

2004

2005

2014


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By BRETT dAVIS

Researchers and end users are

constantly seeking new ways to

communicate with robots and un-

manned systems.

One goal is to make such interac-

tions as easy and intuitive as inter-

action with other humans, but that

poses tough challenges on engi-neers and programmers. Research

continues, however, on new ways to

talk to robots.

For the past seven years, IBM has

been releasing a list of ve technolo-

gies its researchers think have the

potential to change the way people

to look at images, but can under-

stand them. A computer could, for

example, scan photos of skin mela-

nomas taken on patients over time,

possibly diagnosing cancer before

physical problems result. This could

be a boon for the emerging market

of medical robotics.

Dmitri Kanevsky, an IBM master in-

ventor, who lost his hearing at agethree, says in another video that in

ve years computers will be able to

hear what matters, such as moni-

toring mountainsides in Brazil for

audible signs that a mudslide is im-

minent.

It can hear that a ood is coming,

Kanevsky says. This is an example

live and work. While not specic to

robotics, most of the 2013 technolo-

gies singled out could lead to a revo-

lution in the way people interact with

unmanned systems of all kinds.

The rst is touch: In the next ve

years, youll be able to touch through

a phone.

Youll be able to share the texture

of a basket woven by a woman in

a remote village halfway across the

globe, says IBM Retail Industry Ex-

pert Robyn Schwartz in a company

video. The device becomes just as

intuitive as we understand touch in

any other form today.

The second is sight. In ve years, IBM

posits, computers wont just be able

R

Researchers look for novel,new ways to communicate

with unmanned systems



of how hearing sensors can help to

prevent catastrophes.

Another sense coming to comput-

ers is smell, according to the IBM re-

searchers. This could lead to sensors

in the home that literally can smell

disease and then communicate that

to a doctor.

Smelling diseases remotely, and

then communicating with a doctor,

will be one of the techniques which

will promise to reduce costs in the

healthcare sector, says Hendrik Ha-

mann, a research manager of physi-

cal analytics, who adds that your

phone might know that you have acold before you do.

IBM further predicts that comput-

ers will be able to detect how food

tastes, helping create healthier di-

ets and even developing unusual

pairings of food to help humans eat

smarter.

These ve predictions show how

cognitive technologies can improve

our lives, and theyre windows into a

much bigger landscape the com-

ing era of cognitive systems, says

Bernard Myerson, IBMs chief inno-

vation ocer.

As an example, he cites a track-in-

specting robot doing its work inside

a train tunnel. A current robot could

evaluate track but wouldnt under-

stand a train barreling down that

same track.

But what if you enabled it to sense

things more like humans do not

just vision from the video camera

but the ability to detect the rumble of

the train and the whoosh of air? he

asks on the IBM website. And whatif you enabled it to draw inferences

from the evidence that it observes,

hears and feels? That would be one

smart computer a machine that

would be able to get out of the way

before the train smashed into it.

In the era of cognitive systems, he

says, humans and machines will

collaborate to produce better re-

sults each bringing their own su-

perior skills to the partnership. The

machines will be more rational and

analytic. Well provide the judgment

empathy, moral compass and cre

ativity.

DARPA has been working for years

with the Legged Squad Support

System, or LS3, the follow-on to the

legendary Big Dog robotic mule. In

a new video, the defense research

agency demonstrated how a ground

robot could obey verbal commands

giving it roughly the same capability

to follow a soldier as an animal and

handler would do.

In December, the LS3 was put

through its paces, literally, at Vir

ginias Fort Pickett, where it followed

a human soldier and obeyed voice

commands.

This was the rst time DARPA and

MCWL [the Marine Corps Waghting

Lab] were able to get LS3 out on the

testing grounds together to simu

Talking to Robots continued rom Page 29

The LS3 goes through its paces at VirginiasFort Pickett. Photo courtesy DARPA.


33/48

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late military-relevant training con-

ditions, Lt. Col. Joseph Hitt, DARPA

program manager, says in a DARPA

press release. The robots perfor-

mance in the eld expanded on ourexpectations, demonstrating, for

example, how voice commands and

follow-the-leader capability would

enhance the robots ability to inter-

act with warghters. We were able to

put the robot through dicult natu-

ral terrain and test its ability to right

itself with minimal interaction from

humans.

In a DARPA video, the LS3 turns itself

on after a voice command, and then

begins following the human leader.

The LS3 program seeks to demon-

strate that a highly mobile, semi-

autonomous legged robot can carry

400 pounds of a squads equipment,

follow squad members through rug-

ged terrain and interact with troops

in a natural way similar to a trained

animal with its handler, DARPA says.

LS3 is being developed by Boston Dy-

namics, leading a team that includes

Bell Helicopter, AAI Corp., Carnegie

Mellon, the Jet Propulsion Labora-

tory and Woodward HRT.

The December testing was the rst in

a series of demonstrations planned

to continue through the rst half of

2014, according to DARPA.

Interacting with robots in a social

manner could become more impor-

tant in the future, as service robots

take on a greater role in everyday

life.

An IBM chart showing how computers couldunderstand photographs in the next fve years.



Researchers at Carnegie Mellon Uni-

versity have been working on what

seems like a simple problem: how

to let a robot tell where people are

looking.

Its a common question in social set-

tings, because the answer identies

something of interest or helps de-

lineate social groupings, the univer-

sitys Robotics Institute says.

The institute developed a method

for detecting where peoples gazes

intersect, by using head-mounted

cameras.

By noting where their gazes con-

verged in three-dimensional space,the researchers could determine if

they were listening to a single speak-

er, interacting as a group or even

following the bouncing ball in a ping-

pong game, the institute says.

The algorithm used for determining

social saliency could be used to

evaluate various kinds of social cues,

including peoples facial expressions

or body movements.

This really is just a rst step toward

analyzing the social signals of peo-

ple, says Hyun Soo Park, a Ph.D. stu-

dent in mechanical engineering, who

worked on the project with Yaser

Sheikh, assistant research professor

of robotics, and Eakta Jain of Texas

Instruments, who was awarded a

Ph.D. in robotics last spring. In the

future, robots will need to interact

organically with people and to do so

they must understand their social

environment, not just their physical

environment, Park said in a univer-

sity press release.

Head-mounted cameras, as worn by

soldiers, police ocers and search-

and-rescue ocials, are becoming

more common. Even if they dont

become ubiquitous, they could still

be worn in the future by people who

work in cooperative teams with ro-

bots.

Ground robots have sometimes

been plagued by issues of band-

width and range. These problems

are especially problematic in urban

areas, particularly in modern, multi-

story buildings, where communica-

tions can drop o fast.

A research team from the U.S. Army,

University of Washington and Duke

University has demonstrated one

way to help expand the communica-

tions bandwidth of ground robots in-

side buildings, by using the existing

electrical systems to create a super

antenna to achieve wireless, non-

line-of-sight communications.

The concept is based on the idea of

power line networking, or using the

bandwidth in electrical connections

to send information as well. Such

applications are already in use for

streaming high-denition television

and music and even providing high-

speed Internet service using existing

wall plugs.

The power lines ability to receivewireless signals is a well-known phe-

nomenon, but only recently has it

been exploited for in-building com-

munication, says a paper present-

ed by the Armys David Knichel at

AUVSIs Unmanned Systems North

America 2012.

The downside for current power line

systems is that users on both ends

of such a connection have to be

plugged into a wall, not a viable con-

cept for a moving, stair-climbing ro

bot. A team led by Shwetak Patel of

the University of Washington, which

included the U.S. Army and Duke

University, have developed a con

cept that takes the power line idea

and makes it mobile.

According to the paper presented at

AUVSIs Unmanned Systems North

America 2012, the concept is calledSensor Nodes Utilizing Power line

Infrastructure, or SNUPI. SNUPI uses

tiny, lightweight sensor nodes that

contain antennas that can connect

wirelessly to a power line infrastruc-

ture, dramatically boosting their

transmission range.

A soldier could be on the bottom

oor of a building, or even outside

it, and use a single base station con-nected to the system to control and

communicate with a robot exploring

the upper oors.

SNUPI features a low-power micro-

controller that can provide cover-

age for an entire building while con-

suming less than one megawatt of

power. The initial prototype of the

system is just 3.8-by-3.8-by-1.4 cen

timeters and weighs only 17 gramsincluding the battery and antenna.

Brett Davis is editor ofMission Critical



37/48

retired, endurance UAS electro-op-

tics spending will shrink in the nearterm. New technologies like wide

eld-of-view (WFOV) and hyperspec-

tral imaging systems have a strong

future, and development and pro-

duction of increasingly sophisticated

sensors for smaller tactical and mini/

micro-UAS will continue, but if there

is any segment of the UAS sensor

market likely to suer losses in the

near term, the already-ubiquitousgimbaled EO/IR sensor ball is it.

With the Air Force already begin-

ning to wonder what it is going to do

with all those non-stealthy but not

expendable Predator and Reaper

orbits once the U.S. leaves Afghani-

stan, interest is moving to next-

generation systems and sensors. In

mid-2012, Northrop Grumman cold-

called Canada to oer three Block 30Polar Hawks for Arctic surveil-

lance, but there are few big op-

portunities out there (except the

U.S. Navy). Instead, the vultures

are already circling.

In mid-2012, General Atomics of-

fered its new extended range

Predator B as an alternative to

Global Hawk. The new version

adds two fuel podsand a lengthened

27-meter wingspan,

allowing a claimed

42-hour maximum

Pivot to Asia to drive new sensors

Retention of the current admin-

istration in the U.S. will meansome consistency regarding de-

fense spending. A decade of war has

taught U.S. and European services

an unforgettable lesson scout

with your unmanned aircraft, not

with your soldiers. This applies to

no-boots-on-the-ground conicts

such as Libya, where Europes pain-

ful intelligence, surveillance and re-

connaissance inadequacies nallyinspired NATOs $1.7 billion Alliance

Ground Surveillance buy, as well as

to grueling attrition battles like Af-

ghanistan, where dominant ISR at all

levels from tactical to strategic has

prevented a grueling bloodbath like

Vietnam.

President Barack Obamas pivot to

Asia will require new sensor capa-

bilities much more than new strikerplatforms. Just as in the geographical

pivot after the Cold War, the Wests

new paradigm will not be arming

against an adjacent land threat with

thousands of tanks and ghters, but

a potential threat with limited power

projection capability,

requiring monitoring

ISR rather than

bulked up defen-sive lines on the

Rhine.

Tomorrows need for improved ca-

pability with decreased spending willlead to new UAS sensors, electron-

ics upgrades and funding increases,

even while manned shooter eets

shrink and nonsensor upgrades,

such as new engines for manned

JSTARS aircraft, are put on hold.

Electro-optical/inrared

Teal Group Corp. forecasts sub-

stantial growth in UAS EO/IR systemfunding available to U.S. manufac-

turers once the pivot is well under-

way, rising from $754 million in s-

cal year 2013 to $1.2 billion in scal

year 2021, but with a slow decrease

in funding over the next few years

as current systems and programs

wind down. Production has now

ramped up for the U.S. Army Gray

Eagle, and Teal Group expects con-

tinuing orders beyond current

plans, but with hundreds of

Air Force Predators and

Reapers already in ser-

vice, and Block 30 Glob-

al Hawk production

likely to end soon

even if current air

vehicles are not

NATO expects to spend 2 billion eurosover the next two decades to operate itsfve AGS Global Hawks. Photo courtesyNorthrop Grumman.

By dAVId L. ROCkWELL

MarKEt rEPort

35



endurance at 45,000 feet, versus

Global Hawks 30-36 hours. But non-

stealthy UAS at 45,000 feet oer nei-

ther the safety nor discretion of a

Global Hawk at 60,000. Instead, the

Predator C Avenger oers a much

better future for near-peer UAV

ISR, especially for a pivot to Asia. In

January 2012, General Atomics ew

its second Avenger. The Air Force

has bought one, to be delivered by

the end of 2014, to evaluate its per-

formance characteristics. General

Atomics has also considered devel-

oping a carrier-borne Avenger, with

folding wings and a tail hook, for theNavys stealthy UCLASS (Unmanned

Carrier-Launched Airborne Strike

and Surveillance) development pro-

gram.

Regarding sensors, it is also a whole

new ballgame. In mid-2012, the

Avenger was in testing with a Go-

odrich MS-177 multispectral EO

targeting system, a follow-on to the

SYERS sensor on the U-2. In Febru-

ary 2012, the Air Force acquired one

BAE Systems SPIRITT hyperspectral

system for the U-2, with more buys

likely and transition to Global Hawk

or Avenger possible. In 2012 the

Army also evolved plans for a wide-

area surveillance capability for Gray

Eagle, with autonomous scanning

for its EO/IR payload. And General

Atomics has suggested an internal

WFOV sensor for Avenger.

But all these programs are big future

possibilities with little production

planned for the next few years. In-

stead, the fastest growth will be seen

in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and

electronic warfare systems.

Synthetic aperture radars

In January 2012, the USAF complet

ed an analysis of alternatives for its

next-generation SAR/Ground Mov

ing Target Indicator eet, calling fora mix of Block 40 Global Hawks with

the Multi-Platform Radar Technology

Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar

and a manned, business jet-based

ISR aircraft. But the Air Force also de-

cided it did not have the money for

a new manned program and would

keep JSTARS ying indenitely. MP

RTIP testing is to continue through

2013, and while eet numbers are

not certain Teal Groups best

guess is 19 for the Air Force ex

pect MP-RTIP to remain the worlds

most important SAR for decades.

In May 2012, NATO nally signed a

$1.7 billion contract for ve MP-RTIP

Global Hawks for AGS. The rst air

FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 Total

Global Hawk 97 12 8 10 12 16 18 10 14 16 213

BAMS 10 23 21 25 23 30 28 29 26 28 243

Predator/Warrior 259 280 246 280 310 330 335 345 330 334 3,049

UCAV 28 40 32 38 52 100 123 120 118 126 777

Tactical 77 81 81 68 90 90 92 91 101 112 883

Mini/Nano 80 78 97 112 114 120 130 150 170 168 1,219

Other U.S. 108 112 130 134 144 170 188 201 220 222 1,629

Available International 95 106 108 100 122 120 156 130 144 154 1,235

Total 754 732 723 767 867 976 1,070 1,076 1,123 1,160 9,248

Synthetic aperture radars

FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 Total

Global Hawk MP-RTIP 135 214 270 367 377 326 367 355 246 148 2,805

BAMS MFAS 42 72 78 90 84 98 110 98 102 108 882

Lynx/Starlite 160 137 142 148 139 120 110 97 99 92 1,244

Other endurance 100 123 142 143 156 160 194 190 198 210 1,616

UCAV 26 36 34 40 60 68 88 102 126 128 708

Tactical UAV 75 81 76 96 108 134 134 144 158 168 1,174

Mini/Micro/Nano-UAV 10 22 28 32 36 44 60 58 66 74 430

Available international 44 50 54 56 58 60 62 75 90 98 647

Total 592 735 824 972 1,018 1,010 1,125 1,119 1,085 1,026 9,506

Electro-optic/infrared

Market Report continued rom Page 35


39/48



but many small systems from ur-

gent non-program-of-record devel-

opments are now already in service.

With coming budget cuts, these may

just suce, with expensive major

programs such as ASIP being consid-

erably reduced or eliminated. As e

Mission Critical Winter 2012

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Transcript of Mission Critical Winter 2012