SBIR-STTR Award

The Navy requires a long-range standoff solution for Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) command and control that allows EOD Technicians to operate existing and future maritime expeditionary robots from a safe separation distance. The ideal system will provide the situational awareness and command and control required to effectively and efficiently execute the objectives of subsea threat mitigation as well as provide a tether management solution for the ROV. Further, the successful long-range standoff system will be hardware agnostic, supporting multiple vehicle assets and communication systems. Greensea proposes a long-range standoff solution that accomplishes these objectives through an open architecture software system. The proposed solution manages the bandwidth between ROV and operator through the prioritization of data by task, minimizes the amount of data transmitted by implementing high-levels of autonomy and target recognition, and coordinates the three-body system composed of the ROV, deployment vessel, and tether to provide tether management. Greensea's long-range standoff solution is based on EOD Workspace, an operating platform specifically developed for ROVs used in EOD operations.

Benefit:
The capability enabled by this research and development would allow a hardware agnostic long-range standoff system to be employed for any existing or future remotely operated system. Specific applications include, but are not limited to, expeditionary robots used in maritime EOD operations, unmanned surface vessels, diver mobility systems for special operations forces, and unmanned bridge erection boats.

Keywords:
Command, Command, ROV, standoff, Autonomy, Control

The objective of this project is to provide a platform independent plug-in solution to operate an expeditionary-class ROV from safe standoff distances for the purposes of accomplishing sortie objectives related to locating, identifying, and mitigating subsea threats. The long-range standoff system will support the Next Generation EOD Underwater Response Vehicle as an optional add-on component and could me migrated to the legacy SeaBotix vLBV systems as well. The final solution will support a wide range of COTS data links, will be technically viable for the maritime EOD CONOPS, and operationally viable for the EOD Technician. In Phase 1 of this SBIR effort, Greensea developed a proof-of-concept of the proposed solution. Our evaluation used a commercially available hand-held radio supporting DoD encryption methods for data transmission and a VideoRay Defender ROV system enabled with the EOD Workspace software suite. To conduct our evaluation, we completed timed in-water tests derived from the MOTS evaluation process requiring the operator to acquire a fixture using sonar, inspect the fixture, and then place a "disruptor" on four 4-inch diameter targets long enough to take a screen shot for verification. We conducted this test multiple times in a local ROV operation configuration and at standoff distances of 50m, 600m, 1.25km, and 2.70km successfully. Our Phase 2 objective is the development, evaluation, and implementation of a production-ready standoff system for ROVs used in EOD operations. To do so,we will focus on hardening the solution demonstrated in Phase 1 and maturing the TRL of the core components in that proof-of-concept system. We propose engaging with US Navy EOD stakeholders to develop near and long-term requirements, informed by what we demonstrated in Phase 1. We will implement a continuous development and evaluation process by which we work with US Navy EOD stakeholders to evaluate a continuously developed prototype system in scenarios meaningful to EOD operations. In Phase 2, we will increase the capabilities of the proof-of-concept system from Phase 1 by evaluating the system for use within a broad range of marine EOD CONOPS. We will work with US Navy stakeholders to develop specific requirements for a data transmission system and other operational requirements. We will also develop the standoff system to support critical emerging capabilities in the Capabilities Development Document (CDD) and evaluate the standoff system in that context.