by Maj. Michael Veth
We live in exciting times, indeed. The perfect storm of ideas, technology, and motivation that will enable the next-generation of small autonomous vehicles is here. These future vehicles must be able to operate freely and autonomously in all environments, leaving no safe harbor for our enemies.
This fascinating concept is made possible by recent developments in miniaturized inertial, optical, laser, and magnetic sensors. Combining this revolutionary technology with recent innovations in tightly coupling non-traditional sensors with inertial measurements enables precision navigation and targeting in environments that have been traditionally off limits. While this technology is still in its infancy, now is the time to proceed from the laboratory bench to real, interactive systems in real-world environments. This will be the true litmus test for these non-traditional, autonomous systems. Research in this area must be accomplished to truly reveal the most advantageous development path.
Precision navigation is the cornerstone to the modern concepts of precision attack and synergistic combat operations. The Global Positioning System was fielded in the 1980s and it is a force enabler which combines the classic tenets of mass and surprise in ways which were previously impossible, leading to the development of the doctrine of precision combat. The precision combat revolution has led to new tactics and development of a highly focused combat force which exploits a minimum of weapons to produce the maximum effect on the enemy. The Air Force’s reliance on precision combat tactics, combined with a lack of alternative precision navigations technologies, has led to a dependence on GPS. Unfortunately, GPS requires a direct line of sight to the satellite constellation and is vulnerable to attack or disruption. Thus, precision combat is currently impossible in areas not serviced by GPS.
The motivation of current work being done at the Air Force Institute of Technology is to address the limitations of the current precision navigation methods by fusing non-GPS sensors. This concept is inspired by observing the precision navigation capabilities of animals. Research has indicated that animals utilize visual, inertial, proprioceptic, and magnetic field observations to navigate with precision in the air, land, and sea. This powerful natural demonstration of navigation principles guides this effort, which builds on previous research to make precision navigation using visual and inertial measurements possible for military applications. Not only does the fusion of multiple non-GPS sensors with autonomous flight control strategies reduce or eliminate the reliance on GPS, it introduces the overwhelming advantages of precision combat into mission areas which were previously impossible such urban, indoor, or underground combat.
