Real-Time Analytics for Engineer Reconnaissance - KIHOMAC

Current Army route reconnaissance collection methods are heavily dependent upon long-standing, time-consuming manual or semi-automated approaches, often complicated by tight timelines and operations in low-visibility, highly contested environments. Compounding this is the Army’s doctrinal return to Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO).  Transitioning from nearly two decades of moving smaller company-sized elements, combat engineers will take the lead in moving battalions, brigades, and divisions across the operational area. This paradigm shift equates to mobility support for hundreds of vehicles of greatly varying size and weight where road condition, grade, width, and turn radius – to name a few – are essential data points critical to moving the formation forward. KIHOMAC executed a Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) Phase I effort to develop a Visual Simultaneous Location and Mapping (VSLAM) technology-based solution that will automate reconnaissance data collection and support rapid analysis.  This technology-based solution leverages the currently fielded Army ENFIRE kit by employing the Sony RX0 camera and Yost inertial measurement unit (IMU) to generate a 3-dimensional (3D) scene capturing measurable data, which will be used to quickly calculate highly accurate and comprehensive route reconnaissance information in a digital format prepared for distribution. This automated collection can be performed at speed, providing the force with in-depth spatial awareness, including distance between obstructions, road curvature, elevation, road grade, and slope.  This will decrease the time it takes for this information to become actionable intelligence, supporting rapid decision making and operational planning at higher echelons. KIHOMAC’s SBIR Phase II proposal advances this technology from the Phase I demonstrated concept design and test to an executable proof of concept.