mission critical winter 2012
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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
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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 -
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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
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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.
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Editorial
Vice Presient of Communicationsan Publications, Eitor
Brett Davisdavis@auvsi.org
Managing EitorDanielle Lucey
lucey@auvsi.org
Contributing WritersRamon Lopez
David Rockwell
Advertising
Senior Avertisingan Mareting Manager
Lisa Fickfck@auvsi.org
+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
ino@auvsi.orgwww.auvsi.org
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/ -
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 -
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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Talking to Robots continued rom Page 30
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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.
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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
Talking to Robots continued rom Page 33
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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
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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
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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
top related