Expendable Local Area Sensors in a Tactically Interconnected Cluster (ELASTIC)

Obtaining situational awareness in tactical operations often involves high risk to personnel and/or equipment. The ELASTIC concept is to overcome this problem through the use of very low-cost, yet sophisticated, rapidly-deployable imaging sensors. Features of our proposed concept include use of highly portable equipment and support of a range of operational scenarios. Both of these features are made possible through our use of digital video and advanced communications layers. For these reasons, the ELASTIC concept can provide not only situational awareness in a traditional sense, but can be used in a broader strategic sense. One of the primary distinguishing features of our proposed concept is that our wireless hardware and associated algorithms support seamless connectivity between any two points in a multi-hop network. Features include ad hoc link setup and operation through a fully distributed medium access control (MAC) and source-drive networking layer. The complete hardware and software residing on the MCU are meant to have ultra-low power standby (microWatt) for weeks to months of field operation. The complete package is highly integrated, reliable, and very low cost.