Enabling Moving Target Hand-off in GPS-Denied Environments

ABSTRACT: This STTR Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of distributed relative pose estimation framework that enables target handoff in a swarm of UAV platforms operating in GPS-denied and bandwidth constrained environment. In the proposed framework, UAV platforms continually update their relative pose estimates based on a variety of intra-platform and inter-platform measurements. The framework is enabled by novel measurements, feature extraction, sparse representations, and efficient matching technologies that provide effective inter-platform constraints in bandwidth constrained scenarios. The Phase I effort will include; development of proposed distributed pose estimation algorithms and its enabling technologies, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the proposed technologies, and demonstration of proof of concept of target handoff. The project will benefit from Novateur Teams expertise in collaborative platforms, self-localizing sensor networks, distributed visual surveillance, and target handoff.; BENEFIT: The proposed technologies will enable relative sensor pose estimation in multiple UAV systems operating in GPS-denied environment. The proposed technologies for relative sensor pose estimation enable UAV systems operating in GPS-denied environments to communicate positions of targets and regions of interest to each other. Hence, they will enable distributed wide area surveillance where multiple UAV systems leverage each others sensors and disparate capabilities to perform ISR tasks, such as target acquisition and following, and provide improved situational awareness. The proposed technologies can be applied to a number of commercial and defense applications that include: Automated visual surveillance using collaborative UAV sensors. Self-localizing visual sensor networks. Collaborative robotic systems The proposed technologies advance the state of the art in the DoD S&T emphasis area of Autonomy The proposed pose estimation and target handoff technologies will result in intelligent and collaborative automated platforms.