Modular Air Vehicle Intelligence

To address the Air Force need to improve communications among energy, vehicle power, thermal management, and autonomous mission subsystems, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to develop a new Modular Air Vehicle INtelligence (MAVIN) system based on a Message-Passing Interface that integrates plug-and-play payloads to deliver next-generation energy-aware autonomy capabilities. MAVIN connects subsystems and organizes tasks according to varying latency requirements through its Message-Passing Interface. It systematically traces and prioritizes tasks according to a graph structure and efficiently identifies global resource usage for multi-resolution dynamic optimization. This MAVIN innovation enables the system to use sensor data to make informed decisions that optimize energy usage in response to environmental conditions. Intellisense will leverage its experience in building Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE)-conformant power services software and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) hardware to enable MAVIN to efficiently monitor, plan, and distribute power to the payloads and subsystems. The MAVIN system is designed to be a modular approach to addressing flight-critical safety systems so that various payloads and/or sensor modules can be combined in additive configurations. As a result, various phases of the flight can be incrementally automated and optimized. MAVIN is conceived to be scalable and interoperable to swarm operations. During the Phase I effort, Intellisense will develop use cases that will drive the MAVIN architecture, which will be used to develop and evaluate the proposed algorithmic approaches and behavioral descriptions. In support of ascertaining feasibility, MAVIN will demonstrate the simulated transport of configurable payloads to a predetermined destination by initiating takeoff, autonomously discovering an energy-efficient flight route to reach the destination, and then activating one of its payloads. The primary goal is to showcase an energy-aware reallocation of power utilization as the UAV transitions between waypoints and throughout the entire mission duration. Intellisense will assemble and test a proof-of-concept prototype to demonstrate the energy-aware MAVIN system. Intellisense will confer with the Air Force to define and set up MAVIN's architectural components and facilitate the gradual integration of features to minimize the degree of human intervention necessary for the successful execution of MAVIN's flight operations. In Phase II, based on the optimizations, pathfinding algorithms, and analytics gathered, Intellisense will further develop MAVIN to add multiple destinations and further increase the capabilities of MAVIN. We will seek crossover opportunities and consult with the Air Force Research Laboratory to identify energy-aware path-planning applications to extend the mission duration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and reduce the need for frequent refueling or recharging.