Date: Jan 15, 2008 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Stories (
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Soldiers in combat often need access to real-time overhead imagery from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Very few, however, are trained UAV operators or sensor controllers. Under the Dismounted Small UAV Associate SBIR program, Kutta Technologies created an innovative STANAG4586 compliant, hand-held, Ground Control Station (GCS) for UAVs. Kutta's controller provides the dismounted soldier with the ability to easily control, efficiently task, manage, and gain battlefield situation awareness.
Through Kutta's unified Graphical User Interface (GUI), the application offers features such as 2D and 3D flight planning, real-time auto-routing, autonomous point and follow modes, real-time MPEG 2 and MPEG 4 video storage, and the ability to control a gimbaled camera. The system intelligently monitors vital UAV and GCS systems and informs the user when parameters exceed defined limits. An OS platform abstraction allows the software application to run on Windows CE, Windows XP, and Linux.
Furthermore, the innovative touch-screen GUI architecture allows the application to flow seamlessly from a rugged PDA to a rugged tablet PC, or a Laptop. The Kutta GCS has successfully controlled a fixed wing UAV (ACR Silver Fox, 10/05) and rotary wing UAV (NRI Auto-copter, 9/06) in flight tests from a rugged PDA controller.
Under this SBIR program, PM Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PM UAS) has funded Kutta Technologies to work with AAI Corporation to integrate their Intelligent UAV Controller technologies onto the Army's One System Remote Video Terminal (OS RVT) and create a Bi-Directional Remote Video Terminal (BD RVT).
Kutta's technology will give minimally trained Soldiers in the field the ability to control the UAV's payload and autonomously track fixed and moving targets. With an experienced One System Ground Control Station (OS GCS) Operator in continuous oversight, the software on the UAV navigates the air vehicle and manages the payload to perform the requested BDRVT commands in a safe and effective manner.
Phase III Impacts:
The PM anticipates ultimately deploying the system as a series of software-only upgrades to the Shadow UAV, OS GCS, and OS RVT. To date, this effort has received funding in excess of $4.7M in SBIR Phase II and Phase III awards. Most recently, Kutta was awarded an additional $600K from the Army's Commercialization Pilot Program to conduct a user evaluation and enhance functionality.
