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Aurora Wins USAF Contract On Vision-Based MAV Guidance
Cambridge MA (SPX) Oct 28, 2008 Aurora Flight Sciences has announced that the company has been selected for a U.S. Air Force SBIR Phase II award in support of vision-based micro air vehicle (MAV) guidance. Aurora will be developing an integrated system for guidance of MAVs through cluttered environments using vision and sonar. The system is called the 'Panoramic Avoidance and Navigation using OPTics Integrated with Sonar' (PANOPTIS) system. The goal for PANOPTIS is to provide a coherent, lightweight solution for MAVs that enables true urban or 'swallow-like' flight. In Phase I Aurora has shown that the PANOPTIS components and algorithms are suitable for low size, weight, and power situations; Aurora has also demonstrated robustness to sensor inaccuracies and environmental factors. Operational standards will include aerial surveillance support of ground operations, special operations forces, Marine expeditionary teams, and other military units that currently use small unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). In any situation where small UAVs are currently deployed, a MAV outfitted with PANOPTIS would yield greatly enhanced capability for gathering information in tight quarters, surviving during communication outages and/or when the warfighter loses vehicle situational awareness. "It combines the latest techniques in wide-field optic flow, bat-inspired echolocation and behavioral/automaton-based navigation and maneuvering," stated Dr. Jim Paduano, Aurora's Principal Investigator. Related Links Aurora Flight Sciences UAV News - Suppliers and Technology
Successful Live-Fire Testing Of Shadow TUAS
Hunt Valley MD (SPX) Oct 22, 2008AAI has announced that the U.S. Army has successfully completed live-fire testing of laser designation capability for the RQ-7 Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (TUAS). The event confirmed the system's precision, with all missiles hitting their intended targets. |
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