The goal of the
research is to develop a framework and the support tools for the deployment
of multiple autonomous robots in an unstructured and unknown environment
with applications to reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition,
and the removal of explosive ordnance. The current state-of-the-art
in control software allows for supervised autonomy, a paradigm in
which a human user can command and control one robot using teleoperation
and close supervisory control. The objective here is to develop the
software framework and tools for a new generation of autonomous robots.
The main components
are the methodology and the software that will enable robots to:
(a) Exhibit deliberative and reactive behaviors
in autonomous operation
(b) Be reprogrammed by a human operator at
run-time
(c) Learn and adapt to unstructured, dynamic
environments and new tasks
(d) Provide performance guarantees
The architecture
and the tools will be scalable to tens and hundreds of robots and
allow a single human operator to control an entire fleet of autonomous
robots.
