SBIR-STTR Award

SSCI proposes to develop an Autonomous Coordinated Control System (ACCS) for multiple USVs, and evaluate its feasibility through simulations. The proposed system will coordinate diverse tasks for USVs such as: (i) Area search with a platoon of USVs; (ii) Vehicle-to-target assignment, and removal of vehicles from the platoon to pursue and inspect suspicious vessels; (iii) Reconfiguration of the remaining vessels to continue the search; (iv) Return of the pursuit & inspection vehicles to the platoon; and (v) Platoon retasking to continue the search with additional vehicles. Phase I tasks include: (i) Problem statement and mission scenario definition; (ii) Simulation development; (iii) Algorithm development and integration; and (iv) Simulation testing. Phase II will focus on further algorithm development, high-fidelity simulation testing, and in-water demonstration of the proposed system. Lockheed Martin Undersea and Security Systems(USS) will provide technical guidance, and in-water testing and commercialization support throughout the project.

Benefit:
The proposed technology is sufficiently general and applicable to all types of multiple unmanned systems. In the area of multiple USVs, applications are envisioned in oil exploration and oceanographic mapping. In the area of multiple UAVs, the proposed technology will find applications in forest fire monitoring, border patrol tasks, oil pipeline inspection, and in the use of unmanned systems for search and rescue and other first responder applications. Other applications are envisioned in the areas of target ID and intercept using multiple UUVs, coordinated control of combined UAV/UGV/USV teams, and autonomous control of multiple spacecraft formations.

Keywords:
Unmanned Surface Vehicles, Unmanned Surface Vehicles, Assignment Algorithms, Pursuit & Inspection, search, Autonomous Coordinated Control

One of the U.S. Southern Commands (US SOUTHCOM) principal missions is to detect and monitor the movement of illegal drugs and to support interdiction efforts by U.S. and participating nation law enforcement agencies. Recently, the interdiction challenge has increased with the advent of the self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) vehicle as a craft of choice for illegal drug trafficking on the open seas. Of an estimated 85 SPSS that operated in this region in 2008, only 15 were seized. US SOUTHCOM, the U.S. Coast Guard, and national law enforcement agencies consider the SPSS a serious threat to regional security. To address this threat, this program will design, implement, and deploy the Intelligent Mobile Sensor Barrier (IMSB) system, a persistent, at-sea surveillance system to autonomously detect, monitor and support interdiction of SPSSs. The IMSB Sensor Array will consist of multiple, heterogeneous, networked, long-endurance autonomous USVs with mounted sensors, coordinated to responsively execute the assigned mission. The proposed work is the first phase of a 3 phase program to deploy 12 IMSB nodes in an operationally relevant environment in 24 months. The program will be primed by Scientific Systems Company. Team-members include Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Liquid Robotics, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Benefit:
IMSB will provide a significant increase in autonomous, persistent SPSS detection and time-critical alert capabilities to enable airborne or sea-based threat acquisition and interdiction by US and host-nation forces.

Keywords:
SPSS, Unmanned, Counter-Narcotics, Autonomy, DCLT, USV, Sensor, Acoustic