Resilient Autonomous Vehicles Operating in Denied Environments

Resilient Autonomous Vehicles Operating in Denied Environments (RAVODE) provides novel autonomy behaviors that are embedded in reusable software modules suitable for loading into autonomous unmanned vehicles based on the CODE software architecture. Once deployed, these software modules provide sustained autonomous unmanned vehicle mission performance by devising effective autonomous decisions in complex, uncertain engagements. RAVODE behaviors are resilient, capable of satisfying mission objectives when equipment and entire vehicles fail and/or when communications and GPS are denied. Phase I RAVODE behaviors include Adaptive k-vehicle NxM mesh communications (AKnmC) and Adaptive k-vehicle RF-geolocation (KvRFG). The AKnmC behavior enables teams of heterogeneous unmanned vehicles to overcome operational challenges by forming a constantly changing mobile ad-hoc network that bridges communications between vehicles tracking targets, mission commanders and weapons platforms. KvRFG enables the autonomous detection, localization and tracking of multiple emitting targets using passive radio-frequency detectors. RAVODE behaviors are provided as FACE units of portability (UoP) that may be easily integrated into autonomous unmanned vehicles using the CODE autonomy architecture. During Phase II RAVODE adds additional perception, behavior and planning UoPs that enable CODE-based autonomous vehicles to support increasingly diverse missions.