OSCAR: Outdoor Scientific Center for Autonomy and Robotics
Abstract
Accelerating Òin the wildÓ research in collaborative and autonomous systems is a core pillar for the Robotics program at the University of Michigan and key to the battlefield of the future. M-Air is a 500,000 cubic foot netted outdoor test facility that allows testing under a full spectrum of extreme Michigan weather conditions (high winds, polar vortex, snow, solar glare). Through this DURIP proposal, the PIs are seeking the budget to fully transform this space into a future forward research facility for micro-UAVs, collaborative swarms, and other edge-case robotic research problems. The planned facility will directly impact the U.S. ArmyÕs $50 million investment (April 2019) into the Automotive Research Center (ARC) at the University of Michigan as it shifts focus to autonomous technologies for military vehicles. Focus areas of this new thrust supported by this proposal include: Vehicle dynamics, control and autonomous behavior: the navigation, sensors, controls, hardware and algorithms that make up an autonomous military vehicle. Human-centered design and human-autonomy teaming: developing technologies to establish trust between soldiers and autonomous systems, as well as adapt to a humanÕs limits when dealing with large amounts of information. Fleet operations and vehicle systems integration: modeling and simulating efforts to create a fleet of vehicles that can be optimally controlled and quickly adapted to new missions. The envisioned facility will enable the study of on-board computing power versus edge or Òmother shipÓ computing as well as expanding the boundaries of outdoor motion and real-time tracking and control. To accomplish this, the PIs seek funding for An advanced wireless research platform, with ultra-low latency and high-capacity, that is particularly well suited for IoT, mobile, edge computing, and autonomous systems applications. Edge computing capability and a fiber connection to the universityÕs backbone and the cloud. All weather, high-speed motion capture and tracking system capable of capturing highdynamic, corner case scenarios. The proposed system will provide researchers with the unique capability to conduct detailed analysis of highly-dynamic land and aerial robot movements and their interactions with both other robots and humans in a variety of real-world flight conditions. The substantial contained volume of the proposed scientific facility will enable testing of swarms of drones, multi-agent planning and coordination of ground vehicle fleets, mini fixed-wing aircraft, and other multi-modal autonomous robotic research projects. The low-latency high-bandwidth wireless network will allow the investigation of network resilience, advanced command and control, and edge computing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 09, 2020
- Source ID
- W911NF2010001
Entities
People
- Ella Atkins
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Michigan