Multi-Platform Manned/Unmanned System-Mission Planner/Controller

Compliance with the US Army directive to maximize the coordination and collective capability and effectiveness of small unmanned ground vehicles (SUGV) in reconnaissance, surveillance and combat operations will require an intelligent, netcentric Mission Planning and Control System (MPCS). A set of supporting technologies will be implemented in this program to maximize the cooperative efficacy of the SUGV's to carry out the mission plans formulated by the MPCS. First, a JAUS compliant, multi-platform mobile control agent will be developed, which decomposes MPCS strategies into individual operator and SUGV commands, relays the SUGV progress to the MPCS and assists the operators with controlling the SUGV within the operational parameters set by the MPCS. The MPCS will be able to configure and distribute the multi-platform agent to arbitrary network nodes such as the operator console unit or SUGV platform to optimize the communication and computational constraints of the field environment. Second, autonomous navigational methods will be integrated into the SUGV controller to alleviate the operator with the laborious task of remotely steering it. Third, a comprehensive man-machine interface will be developed to collaborate with the multi-platform control agent and to enable the operator to control simultaneously one or more platforms in a semiautonomous fashion.