Autonomy and Visualization Enhancement for Situational Awareness (AVESA) Toolkit

Robotic Research, LLC proposes to continue work on the Autonomy and Visualization Enhancement for Situational Awareness (AVESA) toolkit. The goal of the AVESA toolkit project is to combine greater autonomy with accurate mapping and visualization capabilities for use on any small UGV. In Phase II we will work with the government sponsor to integrate AVESA into the Robotic Collaboration ATO Soldier Machine Interface (SMI) (or another SMI as determined by government sponsor). Using an SMI with AVESA, a soldier can command a small robot to enter and search a structure and return to its original location. During and upon completion of its mission, the visualization and mapping data collected by sensors aboard the robotic platforms will be transmitted and displayed to the SMI. AVESA is designed to work with a variety of sensors; while cameras form the base of the visualization tool, if a LADAR is present on the robot, then that information will be able to be displayed as well. The soldiers are then able to analyze the information prior to entering the structure. Because of AVESA"s capabilities, each soldier knows the basic structural layout, greatly enhancing the team"s situational awareness