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Advanced Replanning and Execution Tools for Heterogeneous Unmanned Systems (ARETHUS)

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Navy
Contract: N00014-10-C-0289
Agency Tracking Number: N091-082-0313
Amount: $747,739.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N091-082
Solicitation Number: 2009.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-06-29
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2013-05-25
Small Business Information
625 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
DUNS: 115243701
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Ryan Kilgore
 Senior Scientist
 (617) 491-3474
 rkilgore@cra.com
Business Contact
 Ninos Hanna
Title: Contract Specialist
Phone: (617) 491-3474
Email: nhanna@cra.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Advanced automation capabilities and human-computer interfaces are needed to enhance operator situation awareness and reduce the cognitive work of supervising unmanned vehicle teams in complex airspaces. To address this need, we will design, develop, and evaluate Advanced Replanning and Execution Tools for Heterogeneous Unmanned Systems (ARETHUS). Three core attributes characterize our approach. First, we will expand prior analyses of unmanned vehicle operations to address the operator’s need for observability and directability of automated planning behaviors when supervising multiple vehicles. Second, we will leverage this analysis to drive the design of: (1) advanced planning algorithms that incorporate both hard domain constraints and soft operator preferences during mission planning and replanning, and (2) ecological mixed-initiative mission displays that enhance operator awareness of the relative safety and efficacy of automated plans, while intuitively conveying affordances for directing the planning process. Third, we will extend existing COTS, GOTS, and in-house planning algorithms, display tools, and simulation environments to rapidly develop working prototypes of ARETHUS component algorithms and mission displays. These prototypes will enable us to demonstrate and evaluate different approaches and therefore truly explore the full range of challenges in managing unmanned vehicles in complex airspaces.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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