Vision-based research may result in agile, smart, autonomous munitions

  • Published
  • By William J. Sharp
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
ARLINGTON, Va. --  A team of University of Florida-led scientists has received, from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research here, a grant extension through November to continue research on agile autonomous munitions.

The study seeks to develop technology necessary to field agile and smart munitions capable of operating autonomously or cooperatively in complex, uncertain, and hostile environments.

Leading the research effort is Dr. John R. Rogacki, director of Florida's Research and Engineering Education Facility - REEF. Collaborating on the research are teams at Alabama, Michigan, and Virginia Tech universities. Rogacki arrived at Florida two years ago and, on behalf of the university, continued work on the grant already in progress at that time. AFOSR has invested approximately $1.5 million in the research over the past three years.

"One area we're focusing on is micro air vehicles," Rogacki said. "At the REEF, we are striving to be a center for excellence so we can quickly advance from conceptual design of a micro air vehicle to a final product." The process, he said, includes rapid prototyping, computational modeling, aerodynamic characterization (wind tunnel experiments, for example), and control algorithms culminating in flight tests.

"We see this process as a means to quickly transition capabilities from the lab to the warfighters," Rogacki said.

"Specifically, we're studying how to control micro air vehicles based on visual cues," Rogacki said. For example, the eyes and brains of joggers work in concert to identify and avoid obstacles blocking a jogging trail. "We're applying the same sort of principal - vision based control - to machinery. We want to enable a lightweight machine so it can see its environment, recognize and avoid obstacles with or without human intervention, and succeed in whatever tasks the Air Force assigns it."

One area that helps guide this sort of research is the study of biologically inspired flight.

"The aerodynamic characteristics of things we find in nature are, so far, far superior to what we're able to create, especially in the area of low-speed flight," Rogacki said. He said there are a number of lightweight, highly-maneuverable, strong, and flexible birds that can fly slowly in tight circles.

"This is something we're trying to understand in addition to building these sorts of characteristics into a micro air vehicle," Rogacki said, "and we're making significant progress in these areas."

The research has many possible commercial applications to include forest protection and law enforcement.

By supporting research workshops like this, AFOSR continues to expand the horizon of scientific knowledge through its leadership and management of the Air Force's basic research program. As a vital component of the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFOSR supports Air Force's mission of control and maximum utilization of air and space. Many of the technological breakthroughs enjoyed by millions today, such as lasers, GPS, and the computer mouse trace their scientific roots to research first funded by AFOSR.