Mars Rover- Opportunity

For this week’s blog post I wanted to check out and share Opportunity, Nasa’s Mars rover. On July 07, 2003 Nasa launched two rovers from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Nasa sent these rovers, the second being Opportunity, to Terra Meridiana a region on the surface of Mars. The mission was originally planned to be 90 days. The rover was to land on the surface and traverse the terrain searching for signs of life. Opportunity is still operating and continuing its mission to this day nearly a decade and a half later. The rover is currently in the Endeavour Crater.

In line with Opportunity’s mission, the rover had made several important discoveries. The rover uncovered sensational evidence that Mars had in its past, “stayed wet for an extended period and that conditions could have been suitable for sustaining microbial life.”

Opportunity found this evidence utilizing its sensors and powered by its solar cells mounted on top of its structure. The rover’s scientific instruments include a: panoramic camera, microscopic imager, Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES), Mossbauer Spectrometer (MB), Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), Magnet arrays, Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams), Navigation Cameras (Navcams). Many of these tools are to perform scientific tests on its environment and determine scientific data, while some of the sensors are to keep the rover safe and provide the capability to travel and navigate. Similar to some of the current UAS or drone markets platforms with sense and avoid.

Resources:

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-exploration-rover-opportunity-mer/ 

Sensors- DJI Guidance System

Two years ago DJI introduced the Guidance System, a sensor-based navigation aid implemented as a sense and avoid hardware system. The sensor is more accurately a system of sensors that can be installed on UAS or other platforms which the user may be utilizing. The system is a combination of a uses chosen sensor (typically a camera) and ultrasonic sensors which are used to gather real-time data and information regarding the platforms surroundings and sends feedback such as data on velocity, position and clearance from obstacles. The Guidance system supports use in environments where GPS functionality is not an option.

The Guidance system has 5 sensors to survey its environment. It has 4 sensors to scan and sense around it laterally and 1 sensor for below. Users can use the camera to an use customized visual sensing and programming to adjust the camera uses to fit the mission. Such as a city using the system on a UAS platform to search for illegally parked cars using the camera to scan license plates and the type of car via visual recognition.

Customers and users from any industry can use their own programs and algorithms in a customizable format that is friendly with several operating system platforms including Windows and Linux. The Guidance system is always aware of its surroundings and uses its data gathering to adjust its flight path if necessary in a given environment and lets users dictate what other data should be gathered via the camera or other sensor which is chosen. The system also provides hardware to facilitate incorporating other additional intelligent sensors to provide a broader spectrum of safety and or capability per the mission.

The DJI Guidance system helps protect the platform in a high level of complex environments and ensures the safety of the platforms and the environment. The system allows for data gathering and customizable capabilities. The most useful feature of the system other then its ability for customization is that it lends itself for use to those who may not be pilots or with any experience. The system ensures safety for any situation the platform may be used for in many applications. My susgestion would be to add or provide the ability for a sixth sensor to completely encapsulate the platform as some application may require a 360-degree awareness, vertically and horizontally. For instance going through a tunnel or tight space, or where there may be the hazard of falling objects. A drawback I see possible is that with the customization you may have organizations that do not have the technological expertise to fully maximize the capability of the system. However, It does appear that DJI helps facilitate use and works well with customers, so this may be a non-issue.

https://www.dji.com/guidance

http://download.dji-innovations.com/downloads/dev/Guidance/en/Guidance_User_Manual_en_V1.6.pdf

Unique Unmanned System- C-Enduro

Unmanned systems are available in many different designs. They have the option to be equipped with numerous and varying sensors, types of propulsion and control systems.

The C-Enduro by ASV Unmanned Marine Systems is a long endurance maritime unmanned surface vehicle. When long term data acquisition is a necessary function the C-Enduro is a practical platform as it can be deployed for 30-90 days at sea, depending on its configuration. A platform that can operate for up to 3 months at a time is not entirely unique, however it is a strong asset. This combined with its mobility, ruggedness, and ability to tailor its power system to climatic conditions creates a very capable platform. The C-Enduro can use diesel or methanol, but also has energy harvesting technology utilizing wind turbines and solar panels, which aids in its deployability. With two brushless DC motors the unmanned vessel can travel at 6.5 knots.  The carbon fiber hull provides a strong and efficient design that is also self-righting, ideal for an ocean-going vessel.  At approximately 14 feet in length, 8 feet wide, 9 feet tall (including antennae), a draft of less the 1 and a half feet and a weight of 771lbs the platform classifies as a lightship. The size and weight allow a single person the capability of launching from a pier or boat launch via truck and trailer. By radio/satellite the operator can control the vessel semi-autonomously or configure for full autonomy. A wide range of sensors can be fitted to the unmanned vehicle including cameras, wave measurement, sonar, and even electronic warfare. A winch gives the ability to lower sensors or devices to greater depths for a broader range of capabilities. This allows the C-Enduro to fulfill multiple roles from environmental monitoring and oceanographic data collecting to security. Overall, I would rate the design and effectiveness of the C-Enduro highly. It fits the roles and capabilities for an unmanned vehicle concept I had previously thought should be employed. I think a small variation that could be implemented to increase the spectrum and range of capability is to incorporate search and rescue functions. This might not mean that any further sensors are required, perhaps thermal imaging could be useful, but lifesaving equipment such as flotation devices, a small inflatable raft, and possibly neoprene items. 

Response to DJI White Papers

In July and September of this year, DJI released White Papers covering the UAS/UAV industry. In July the paper was “A Call for a Balanced Remote Identification Approach” and discussed non-networked localized ID’s, available technologies and privacy. The September paper was, “Unmanned Traffic Self-Management: How Smart Drones Will Find Their Own Way In the Airspace” and covered the systems being developed, the technologies involved, privacy, and a call for research and collaboration.

These papers are important and I like to see companies taking initiatives like this. Companies spearheading advancements in technologies is essential, but it is also important to organize all the data and get a sense of direction collaboratively across the industry so that efforts can be unified and benefits to the consumer and developers maximized.

In their July paper, DJI called for a balanced approach to solving safety, security, and accountability concerns. This while taking into account operator privacy and safety in an effort to create an identification method to give localized identification without permanently recording or logging operator information. This is a reasonable and logical approach to the safety of the public with UAS/UAV activity is absolutely necessary as well as the security of the operators' security of their personally identifiable information is equally important as the risk of digitally shared information risks are high in this day of technology. The paper states that deploying technology that already exists will the primary method that should be leveraged to create this system. Again, I agree as this removes additional costs to the consumer and developers with technology that is already proven capable.

DJI’s September paper covers the traffic management system and goes into On-Board Anti-collision Technology (OATs) at length. OATs includes two primary technologies: vehicle to vehicle communicated by direct radio protocols, and environmental sensors such as sense and avoid and LIDAR. These technologies are being developed by several major companies with billions of dollars devoted and invested. The level of safety already developed is competent and the rate at which the technology is improving will surely allow the deployment of these systems into the airspace via UAS/UAV relatively soon seeing the push forward in the industry.

This again is a reason the release of the DJI white papers has been commendable as they are attempting to get the industry on the same page as well as letting the public be aware of the state of affairs as of today and possibly where things are going.

  

UAV Swarm Technology

For the 2016 Holiday Season Disney, partnered with Intel, launched a new entertainment show. That show was a swarm of 300 Intel Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s (UAV’s) connected together by a wireless link. For many, this may have been the first time they had heard of or witnesses the swarming capability of UAVs or even the first time they had watched a UAV in action. The technology behind these swarms is advanced algorithms and a suite of Command and Control systems programmed to fit the use or mission of the swarm. In Disney’s case, they wanted to show holiday type designs and had preprogrammed 3-D images of a dove, Christmas tree, star and other such objects to be portrayed in the night sky by the 300 UAV’s equipped with LED lights. This would have been a great show to see in person, whether you are a UAV hobby enthusiast, tech geek, or just like the lights and spectacle. How can this technology be put to a more practical or useful purpose toward serving the community or humanity, though?

First, we must define what swarm is. Swarm has several ways in which to define it relevant toward its purpose. When applied in warfare, an explanation is provided by Paul Scharre of the Center for a New American Security. He defined swarming as, “large numbers of dispersed individuals or small groups coordinating together and fighting as a coherent whole.” The Naval Postgraduate School's Timothy Chung defines swarm as, "In our context, swarming means a large collection of aerial robots working together to do something meaningful or interesting." However, it can most easily and generally be described with, “Swarm intelligence is the collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems, natural or artificial.” Swarm technology can be used by an operator in the loop controlling the swarm via a ground control station or the swarm can be launched with preprogrammed protocols and directives to control behavior and what actions are to be taken in accordance to what is encountered in their environment.

So far there are several studies being conducted and models tested of swarm flight. The U.S. and Chinese Governments have both been very interested in the emerging technology and its applications. However ethical questions have been raised over how exactly this swarm technology would be used and the degree of autonomy it would have. Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) are in existence already and some have been employed for years, such as missile defense systems that target objects dependent on size, shape, speed, etc., without human interaction. Some organizations have called for a halt to production of these types of weapons systems. In July 2015, some of the world’s top artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics researchers released an open letter calling for “a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.” There are certainly drastic implications toward the way a weaponized military swarm system could operate. There are however other potential arenas this technology could be used for benefit.

For civilian purposes the technology of swarming could be utilized in several of the ways I’ve previously discussed: Fire-fighting, search and rescue, hazard mitigation methods, agriculture, wildlife tracking/preservation. Each of these fields has already considered UAS application and what benefits, through greater precision and efficiency, could be garnered. With swarm technology, there is a great potential for advancing the amount and quality of data gathered and increased productivity. I believe the swarm technology coupled with interoperability is where the true potential lies. Swarm technology has the capability in aiding in search and rescue by increasing the effective sweeping pattern of the search and command/control as these devices will be linked and behave as one unit simultaneously. Firefighting can employ this swarm technology effectively by having multiple points of data gathering surrounding an entire fire as well as potential points of possible breakouts or monitoring firefighters on the ground to maintain contact and ensure the highest chance of success and survival. Hazard mitigation could include swarms to direct traffic ahead of an accident/construction or to help those leaving a natural disaster area. Utilized correctly swarms could direct people in a controlled way to leave the area before the event strikes and avoid further loss of life as in recent past or to direct survivors to rescue centers. In conjunction with other assets in use utilizing interoperability with manned systems, swarm technology has great potential to increase the effectiveness of many efforts.

Swarm technology is evolving and as many other technologies will continue to increase in its capacity to be applied to many different areas of industry. There are several applications for swarm technology civilian entities could use to drastically improve safety and efficiency. Combined with interoperability technology and techniques these methods could provide synergistic advancements in life-saving efforts, data gathering, and civil service.

Resources

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00963402.2017.1290879

http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/07/23/424685529/follow-the-leader-drones-learn-to-behave-in-swarms

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131202-drone-uav-uas-amazon-octocopter-bezos-science-aircraft-unmanned-robot/

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/disney-intel-launch-christmas-drone-light-shows-florida-disney-world-1592128

Unmanned Vehicle Interoperability

As we find more opportunities for the use of unmanned systems (US) across a wide spectrum of services and roles, the importance of interoperability will continue to grow right alongside the unmanned industry itself. “Interoperability is the ability of computer systems or software to exchange and make use of information”. For example, “interoperability between devices made by different manufacturers.”[1] Or the “ability of a system (such as a weapon) to work with or use parts or equipment of another system.”[2] Both of these definitions are important because unmanned systems not only contain programmable software which can be made to work with other systems but is also a physical device which can have interchangeable parts and payloads.

The future of unmanned systems includes the use of multiple devices or platforms in use simultaneously. Interoperability is essential as some platforms with specific uses will be paired in use with other platforms of differing manufacturers toward meeting the goal of performing and completing the same mission. If the systems in the team or package are made by different companies will the operator be able to swap cameras or other payloads? For ease of use they should. Most computers have USB and SD card inserts. This is a type of interoperability and makes it easier for those using multiple systems or changing to new systems able to transfer data and maintain the type of data storage they have.

One possible scenario and application of US I see is for wildlife tracking. Wildlife tracking is another tool scientists use for data analysis and many other  measurements and theories, such as climate change and effects of pollution or human behavior on one specific species or the environment. Having an airborne platform in an operation packaged  with an underwater system to provide data and share information would be very useful, but interoperability will be necessary. The ability to share information and data will be key but possibly interchanging payloads could be just as important. Operators using the devices from a control station aboard a vessel could deploy the units as necessary or the units may deploy themselves possibly dependent on parameters set by the operator who may be controlling those US from a boat nearby or from dry-land. For instance if a tagged animal were to come within a specified range then the underwater or aerial drone deploys and tracks that target to provide information on the animal or group of animals. These US could be housed and operated from buoys rigged with solar cells to recharge the systems and to extend the range and decrease the time to engage tracked animals saving time and resources while creating valuable data to scientists.

Another potential useful mode of interoperabilty with US is on highways. We have all been in traffic and have all had to deal with accidents or something that creates that traffic. UAS housed alongside the highway could, when necessary or when programmed to, deploy to determine traffic patterns or the reason for high traffic density. These UAS could relay this information to multiple sources including emergency services with incident data for more efficient responses. As well as personal devices to inform phone apps with the most update information for traffic avoidance. Scientists or civil engineers could also use the data gathered to better understand traffic patterns to create more efficient road way systems. The US involved in these types of operations would need to be interoperable though in order to speak to different types of systems that local/state governments or civilian sector scientists might use to analyze the data collected.

As the uses for Unmanned Systems and the industry grows interoperability will grow alongside it. Being able to use these systems with people in, on, and off the loop will be equally as important and will allow for greater utilization and efficient use of the technologies.

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[1] Google Dictionary

[2] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interoperability

Augmented Reality Applications

With Augmented Reality(AR) becoming more popular due to its increased applications and advancements in improving the technology Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UAS) have the potential to immediately integrate these systems to capitalize on a growing capability as well as market trend. Goldman Sachs estimates that by 2025 AR will have reached what the computer systems market share is at currently and is estimated to reach 85 billion in annual revenue by 2025. Including the market growth and expected increases in applications of UAS, the combination of the two technologies seems to be not only the intelligent idea financially but more importantly the ability improve efficiency in many fields and operations. 

Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, is already using AR technology incorporated with its Scan Eagle platform to assist Firefighters in assessing, maintaining situational awareness, and thus fighting wildfires to greater effect. The drones outfitted with AR/VR technology can send information back to the user via a 3-dimensional display as a hologram. Combined with thermal scanners and other sensors these UAS provide a real-time look at what the fire is doing. It allows for the user to see things that firefighters on the ground using the naked eye cannot see and UAS operators using other sensors would still not be able to see. The ability to see where the fire is hottest, where it is spreading and where embers are traveling or landing can truly aid in the Forest Firefighters industry. Including this tool in their arsenal could also allow virtual mapping and waypoints to be displayed along with pertinent real-time information immediately from the UAS system and end user down to those fighting the fire directly on the ground. Those firefighters on the ground can see the AR data displayed via goggles, monoculars or HUDS. These technologies have the potential not only to save lives of those fighting the fires but also fleeing from them. As well as saving millions in property damage and materials to actually fight the fire by increasing the effectiveness of the resources that are used.

This is not the only application of AR for UAS. Field Service Technicians for Utility Companies, another extremely dangerous job, have the potential to effectively incorporate AR into their process and system to increase effectiveness and safety. Service Technicians could use UAS to fly parallel to utility lines, similar to the applications and techniques used by railroad companies for security and inspection, to assess for damages and repairs. These service requests could be noted with instructions and the necessary data for technicians via AR as well as having the benefit of ordering the part ahead of time so the service technician comes prepared to complete the job. This cuts costs associated with travel and hours spent on the job looking up work orders, lost paperwork, accessing information via laptop or direct cell communication. This saves the utility companies and the end users which is everyone who uses electricity/cable/internet.

Sources:

http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/technology-driving-innovation-folder/virtual-and-augmented-reality/report.pdf

http://www.airspacemag.com/articles/drones-augment-reality-180961874/

http://arvrlist.com/augmented-reality-in-asset-repair-utilities/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiJvHjPux1gIVA61pCh3kpwVMEAMYAiAAEgIgNvD_BwE