A Cyber-Physical Augmented Reality Testbed for AI-supported Real-time Human-Autonomous Systems Collaborations (RealTHASC)
Abstract
Autonomous systems have the potential to redefine future Naval warfares. Swarms of battlespace autonomous systems call for decentralized perception and planning for force multiplicationand agility to out-maneuver opponents. Sensing and reasoning about processes and objects in alarge physical environment requires both collecting and processing large-scale spatio-temporaldata. The Real-time Human-Autonomous Systems Collaborations (RealTHASC) testbed will bea major research instrument interfacing state-of-the-art visualization tools, virtual reality, andcyber-physical systems, to bring augmented reality to Cornell and the Ithaca (NY) area. TheRealTHASC testbed will hosted in a 36ft x 30ft x18ft laboratory in Rhodes Hall, on the CornellIthaca Campus. This facility will augment a cyber-physical testbed with virtual environmentcreated in Unreal Engine and user-interfaced using virtual reality wearable goggles, thusproviding complete and exact digital control over both the avatars and the sensory environmentsof the real robots and VR users. The cyber-physical tesbed will comprise a group of aerial andground robots equipped with embedded sensing, computing, and communication devices. Robotteams as well as human-robot teams, assisted by the latest artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms,will be tested in expansive environments that break the barriers of laboratory settings. In additionto testing and validating new methods in artificial intelligence and autonomy, the RealTHASCtestbed will allow the PI and her collaborators to explore the sensory capabilities of the humanbrain, develop and analyze multidimensional scientific data and models with decisions in theloop. With the design and integration of virtual and physical spaces that include a vast repertoireof agents, scenes, hardware, and algorithms, the RealTHASC testbed will also provide anunparalleled STEM educational tool for Cornell, as well as K-12 Ithaca Schools, and help attractyoung students to disciplines important to the DoD mission.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112297
Entities
People
- Silvia Ferrari
Organizations
- Cornell University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy