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Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) Guidance and Navigation

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 40207
Amount: $99,776.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1998
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
9950 Wakeman Drive,
Manassas, VA 20110
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Ben Motazed
 () -
Business Contact
 Ben Motazed
Phone: () -
Research Institution
 Carnegie Mellon University
 Susan Burkett 
 
5000 Forbes Ave.,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
United States

 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

Aurora Flight Sciences and Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute propose a joint program to develop a generalized MAV navigation and guidance framework applicable to both hovering and fixed wing configurations. The proposed cooperative program seeks to apply image processing methods and devices developed at CMU for a wide range of MAV navigation with special emphasis to the indoor and urban canyon like environments. We will investigate the use of panospheric imaging and novel methods of ranging. Panospheric imaging is the projection of a very wide field of view (360 degs in azimuth and up to 120 degs in elevation) onto a single camera via a curved mirror. Such imaging allows tele-operated navigation without the requirement for any moving parts to view different parts of the surrounding environment. In addition to telepresence, this mode will also provide the ability to track moving objects, guide the MAV toward a target, and attitude control through optical flow processing. Complementary to the panospheric imaging, we also propose to investigate a novel laser ranging device based on Self-Mixing Laser Interferometry (SMiLI) that can be used for odometry, attitude control, obstacle detection and mapping. Apart from fulfilling several needs, both technologies are amenable to the miniaturization required for MAVs.

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

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