Automated Exploitation of Airborne Acoustic Arrays Using Adaptive/Learning Techniques

The overall goal of the Sensors Directorate is to be the "Eyes and Ears of the Warfighter". The development of sensing technology has focused primarily on the extension of the sense of sight, e.g., the use of radar, infrared, E/O and laser technologies; while relatively little effort has been invested in the extension of the sense of hearing. But merely adding acoustic sensor systems to exploit sound would only add to the information overload problem, with possibly little value-added, no matter how good the fundamental sensor technology is. This proposed effort would allow the Air Force to incorporate information from advanced airborne acoustic sensors into its ISR and weapon systems without aggravating the data overload problem. The key to this effort is successful automated sound recognition technology under widely varying conditions. A combination of learning machine techniques and physics-based adaptive environmental acoustics will be used to solve this problem. Technology developed in the field of underwater acoustics for submarine detection, and recent developments in air-acoustics for enhanced situational awareness in urban operations, are highly leveraged in this effort.