Collaborative Control of Unmanned and Autonomous Systems

Abstract

This talk will present a collaborative control capability that allows a group of heterogeneous, autonomous, unmanned vehicles to dynamically and autonomously collaborate and reconfigure in response to varying mission requirements and to continue a mission even if the size of the group is reduced or communications are denied. We have demonstrated basic collaborative autonomy for multiple vehicles and are now expanding these algorithms for increased collaborative capabilities aligned with more complex operations with larger uncertainties. The baseline autonomy algorithms include single platform autonomy, formation flight, and basic auctions. Technologies in development will augment these with more sophisticated team level autonomy, including distributed perception using sensor probabilities for task assignment, collaborative negotiations using auctions, in‐situ task reprioritization and re‐allocation, and robust operations in environments with incomplete information and unforeseen circumstances.