MEMS Beam Steering (MBS) Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) Module for a Small Robotic Platform

Providing the war fighter near-real-time Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) information can be a major factor in the success of a Special Operations mission. In the case of urban warfare, accurate knowledge of dimensions for an enclosed space such as a cave, tunnel or building, as well as the location of critical features such as doors, windows or hallways can be crucial. This knowledge supports the planning of ingress/egress routes, as well as providing information on potential enemy locations. Areté's proposal focus on developing a miniature MEMS Beam Steering (MBS) based 3-D LADAR sensor system that will demonstrate all critical elements required for a LADAR on a man-portable robot. MEMS Beam Steering provides the following benefits in a size/weight/power-constrained application: · Eliminates the requirement for external gimbals or scan mechanisms · A single transmit and receive aperture is required · Lower volume, lower mass, less power (MEMS consume mW's), higher reliability with no moving parts exposed to the environment and higher Line of Sight pointing accuracy with no need for rotational encoders or resolvers. · High scan rates are possible. · Leverages telecommunications technologies, minimizing the development costs and ultimate production costs due to the commercial development