Mar. 18, 2005
Dryden Flight Research Center
P.O. Box 273
Edwards, California 93523
Phone 661/276-3449
FAX 661/276-3566
Beth Hagenauer
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Phone: 661/276-7960
beth.hagenauer@dfrc.nasa.gov
Jonas Dino
NASA Ames Research Center
Phone: 650/604-5612
jonas.dino@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 05-12
NEW FLIGHT SOFTWARE ALLOWS UAVS TO TEAM UP FOR VIRTUAL FIRE EXPERIMENT
The old saying, "birds of a feather, flock together," can now be
applied to a couple of small uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs) flown
in a NASA research experiment using principles derived from studies
of fish and bird motions to simultaneously guide them around
obstacles.
Image Right: One of two small APV-3 aircraft flown in the joint
Ames-Dryden Networked UAV Teaming Experiment flares for landing on a
roadway on a remote area of Edwards AFB.
Engineers and technicians from NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett
Field, Calif., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.,
recently conducted flight tests over a 'virtual' forest fire to
evaluate new flight-control software that will allow UAVs the ability
to autonomously react to obstacles as they fly pre-programmed
missions. The tests were conducted over a remote area of Edwards Air
Force Base, Calif., to investigate cooperative flight strategies for
airborne monitoring and surveillance of natural disasters and for
atmospheric sampling.
"We developed and flight tested several novel approaches for providing
assistance to wildfire suppression crews using a team of two small
UAVs," said Ames' John Melton, principal investigator for the
Networked UAV Teaming Experiment. "The aircraft were flown using a
combination of rules from nature and robotics to cooperatively
transit and search a virtual forest fire."
Image Left: NASA Dryden Operations co-op student Shannon Kolensky
holds one of the APV-3 UAVs flown in the Networked UAV Teaming
Experiment steady during an engine runup.
The NASA researchers borrowed a mathematical tool devised by Hollywood
movie makers to map and mimic the choreography used by swarms of
birds and fish as they wheel and turn without striking one another.
These in turn guided the inexpensive robotic UAVs around obstacles
such as simulated smoke plumes. Called the boid algorithm, this tool
separates the activities of individual birds or fish into three
categories: heading matching, where the animals all try to keep the
same direction; flocking, where the animals move to come into
proximity to one another; and collision avoidance, in which the birds
or fish maneuver to keep from running into each other.
Jason Clark, research algorithm developer at NASA Dryden, said the
boid algorithm has been adapted to direct remotely operated UAVs to
fly within predetermined proximity to each other, while avoiding
collisions and maneuvering around phantom objects digitally placed in
their flight paths. Though still in its infancy, this emerging
software technology promises to one day enable swarms of UAVs to
conduct aerial searches and participate cooperatively in activities
such as firefighting.
For the tests, NASA used the Piccolo autopilot system and global
positioning system (GPS) transmitters to enable a pair of RnR
Products APV-3 UAVs to maneuver responsively in relation to each
other. With the two 12-foot wingspan UAVs, the NASA researchers
proved the concepts inherent in the boid algorithm. Neither aircraft
communicated with the other directly, but sent and received signals
with a central computer station on the ground that directed both
airplanes to maneuver as needed.
In one test, the software automatically developed individual flight
plans and transmitted them to each aircraft. After passing their
first few waypoints, one of the UAVs was commanded to begin orbiting
over the virtual fire. The remaining search points were then
transmitted to the second aircraft, which incorporated these points
into its flight plan and completed the mission.
"This technology may one day enable swarms of aircraft to move safely
from one area to another as a flock or group," said Melton. "A number
of UAVs could be flown 'stacked' in a vertical column with
instruments to collect air samples on future science missions or help
ground personnel monitor forest fires and other natural disasters,"
he added.
NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate is supporting a
variety of technology development projects for remotely or
autonomously controlled high-altitude, long-endurance UAV aircraft.
Such UAVs have the potential to serve as platforms for a wide variety
of earth science, surveillance, communications relay and
disaster-mitigation missions, especially in circumstances where
flying a manned aircraft is dangerous. The Networked UAV Teaming
Experiment was sponsored by the Directorate's Aeronautics Systems
Analysis Project.
-NASA-
PHOTO EDITORS: High-resolution photos to support this release are
available electronically on the NASA Dryden photo gallery at:
http://www1.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/APV-3_NUAVT/index.html.
TELEVISION EDITORS: Interview segments and B-roll footage to support
this release will be aired during the Video File feeds on NASA TV on
March 18 and 21. NASA TV is available on the Web and via satellite in
the continental U.S. on AMC-6 at 72 degrees west longitude,
transponder 9, 3880 MHz, vertical polarization, audio at 6.8 MHz. In
Alaska and Hawaii, NASA TV is available on AMC-7 at 137 degrees west
longitude, transponder 18, at 4060 MHz, vertical polarization, audio
at 6.8 MHz. For NASA TV information and schedules on the Internet,
visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
-end-