SBIR/STTR Award attributes
DARI is a modular software and hardware architecture for an autonomous mobile tethered Unmanned Aerial System (Te-UAS). The Te-UAS consists of a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an optionally-manned Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV), and a tether connecting the two. The tether contains electrical wires that deliver power from the GCV to the UAV and a fiber-optic cable that provides a high-bandwidth bidirectional data channel between sensors and processors on each vehicle. The principal innovation in DARI is intelligent real-time Obstacle Detection and Avoidance (OD/OA) software that enables the Te-UAS team to travel at speeds of up to 45 mph without snaring or entangling the tether on obstacles like overhead wires, overpasses, or trees in a variety of urban, suburban, and rural operating environments. This OD/OA capability makes it possible to use the Te-UAS for long-duration observation over a broad geographical area without the need for a human UAV pilot. The DARI architecture is a suite of data structures, algorithms, messaging protocols, and data fusion and obstacle avoidance models, with associated sensors and processors. It follows the principles of the DoD Modular Open Systems Approach/Architecture (MOSA); major system components will use well-accepted open systems standards for interoperability, portability, and scalability. The architecture will define sensor configurations and associated software functions for creating a Common Operating Picture (COP) of the environment. The COP will provide a world model to a real-time navigation subsystem that coordinates and controls the flight/route plan of the Te-UAS, and will enhance warfighters' Situational Awareness. The architecture is not limited to use in a single Te-UAS. It provides for data sharing and cooperative tasking among multiple Te-UAS teams using wireless mesh networking, while recognizing the bandwidth and connectivity constraints in such networking.
