SBIR-STTR Award

HellHivesTM enable efficient cost-effective protection, transport, deployment, and recovery of swarms of UAS and UGVs. Further, HellHiveTM advanced options include our robots servicing robots innovations using dual-arms within, which enable field-maintenance/repair, cleaning, battery-changing, rearming, module-changing, and assembly-operations. VRR envisions going beyond our current ISR, Remote Call-For-Fire, and Counter-UAS use cases to support the emerging HADR operations requirements. VRRs HellHiveTM technologies are already at TRL-5/6 with actual successful field demonstrations including JIFXs and TSOAs. VRR envisions providing an integrated solution to all three Focus areas: 1) Agile manufacturing on-demand solutions for Unmanned system (UxS) products with Lockheed Martin and two additional small businesses includes packaging and shipping of HellHivesTM to disaster areas; 2) Control systems for unmanned platforms for Group 1 UAS exploiting VRRs Fused Augmented Realities Common Controller (OSD/Army & ONR/USMC sponsored); 3. VRR also goes beyond the required notional payload concepts based on using COTS technologies: VRR can actually field demonstrate capabilities for rapid acquisition and configuration for modular payloads for HADR operations; including ISR for improved situational awareness, providing communications with COTS relay modules/radios, supply delivery of up-to 25lbs, and civilian uses of electronic warfare emitter detections. VRR also provides persistent-ISR, and forming ad-hoc communication networks for HADR.

Benefit:
HellHivesTM enables new classes and types of swarm operations solutions for HADR requirements. The following benefits are aligned with the 3 focus areas: 1) HellHivesTM are essentially innovative packaging systems enabling transport and deployed uses of wide range of Unmanned system (UxS) products created from agile manufacturing on-demand solutions; as well efficiently and rapidly moving inventories of existing UxS products. HellHivesTM are completely scalable in the number of UxS products stacked per honeycomb tube and the number of honeycomb tubes per shipping container. Upon arrival at the disaster site, no unpacking is required the HellHiveTM lid remote control opens and the UxS deploy directly from the container (no humans required). Benefits include protection, transport, deployment, and recovery of swarms of UAS and UGVs in deployed environments. Optional advanced versions can also include an internal assembly area where dual robotic arms can assemble UxS and/or repair, change payloads, etc. Deliverables for advanced on-site assembly capabilities includes VRRs Wear Your Robot tech dual arm version sponsored by the Robotic Enhancement Program and Picatinny Arsenal. The on-demand supply side chain will be tested with Lockheed Martin and 2 additional small businesses producing UxS and shipping within HellHivesTM with 2 methods, fully assembled, and partially assembled (to save shipping space) for the HellHive with dual arms to complete assembly. Specifically, VRR provides agile on-demand protection, transport, deployment, and recovery of swarms of UAS and UGVs as prepositioned HellHiveTM assets at existing and emerging UAS manufacturers. These hives can be rapidly filled and shipped to disaster areas as required. 2) Control systems for unmanned platforms for Group 1 UAS exploiting VRRs Fused Augmented Realities Common Controller ((FAR-CC) OSD/Army & ONR/USMC sponsored); FAR-CC already controls over 80 different types of UAS and UGVs both military and civilian. VRRs modular bridge software enables most UxVs to be controlled by FAR-CC. A key benefit is personnel only need to learn one interface instead of the many. For military applications FAR-CC already supports self-swarming organization and redistribution, fratricide-collision avoidance, and waypoint-based navigation. 3. VRR also goes beyond the required notional payload concepts based on using COTS technologies: -- VRR can actually field demonstrate capabilities for rapid acquisition and configuration for modular payloads for HADR operations; including ISR for improved situational awareness using existing camera/IR-sensor, as well as an innovative attaching of COT smartphones to UAS or UGV gimbles; providing communications with COTS relay modules/radios, supply delivery of up-to 25lbs, and civilian uses of electronic warfare emitter detections. VRR also provides persistent-ISR, and/or forming ad-hoc communication networks for HADR with our Bat Mode module add-on to existing UAS.

Keywords:
unmanned aircraft systems, unmanned aircraft systems, USV, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Unmanned Surface Vehicles, UxS, HADR, Unmanned Systems, UAS

VR Rehab, Inc. (VRR) working with team partner Arizona State University (ASU) has already successfully developed and demonstrated rapid, distributed, on-demand, small-scaled, domestic mass manufacturing of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) capable of autonomously delivering one-kilogram payloads to pre-selected locations at least two kilometers distant from the launch point. We have achieved key goals towards supporting the Navy in delivering supplies to multiple disaster victims over a wide area in Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations without the need to manufacture and maintain a large supply of systems before they are needed. VRRs HellHive technologies safely package, transport, and deploy single and/or multiple UAS, and/or Swarms, including commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vehicles or VRR/ASUs custom designed HoneyBee UAS which are low cost, single-use, quadcopters. Final Phase I HoneyBee test flights auto launched from HellHives, traveled autonomously 2 km, with cruising altitude of 100m in less than 4 minutes at 31 mph. Phase II speeds will be higher towards 65mph objectives. HoneyBees are flexibly designed for rapid, on-demand manufacturing from multiple sources with a robust supply chain. The current prototype HoneyBee can be assembled for a material cost of $170 and has been successfully test flown in three locations, Phase II costs are projected to be <$145. Key HADR strengths of our innovations are based upon: HellHives enabling direct launching from the shipping containers providing disruptive advantages to Disaster Site HADR personnel: No Unpacking; No Preparations; No Physically Handling the Drones, No accidental breakage, no dust/dirt/mud contamination to cause malfunctions, just open the HellHives lid, upload the destinations file, and press go to auto launch. Easier, Faster, and Safer for Disaster Site HADR personnel. (Remote control options are also supported, towards further reducing Disaster Site HADR personnel workloads) Detailed supply chain and assembly plans for 10 1000 drones are presented with a program for distributed small-scale, on-demand mass manufacturing. Plans are also presented for using alternative components to avoid production delays due to supply chain problems. The VRR/ASU team has demonstrated successful functional prototype aircraft, launch systems, and manufacturing processes addressing the 3 focus areas for this topic: Agile manufacturing on-demand solutions, Control systems for unmanned platforms, and Payload concepts using both commercial vehicles and HoneyBees. Commercialization and transition plans are presented. In Phase II through agile development processes our team will ensure performance for emerging HADR requirements including end-to-end support with optimized mass manufacturing processes that include quality control and continuous improvements, & field performance exploiting the parallel nature of HellHives to rapidly launch very large Swarms in under a minute.

Benefit:
VRRs HellHivesTM enable new classes and types of ADAPT solutions -- Advanced, Agile Mass Manufacturing of Limited-Production Swarming Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to Support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations. The following benefits are aligned with all 3 of the focus areas: Agile manufacturing on-demand solutions for UxS products -- HellHivesTM are essentially innovative packaging systems enabling safe protection, transport, local/remote control, and deployed uses of wide range of Unmanned system (UxS) products created from agile mass manufacturing on-demand solutions; as well efficiently and rapidly shipping inventories of existing UAS products to HADR sites. HellHivesTM are completely scalable in the number of UAS products stacked per honeycomb tube and the number of honeycomb tubes per shipping container. Upon arrival at the disaster site, no unpacking, no preparations are required the HellHiveTM lid is opened & the UAS deploy directly from the container. In addition to the largescale time savings and workload reductions for on-site HADR personnel; Safety benefits and reduced incidental damage derive from never having to touch our HoneyBee Drones that come preloaded with payloads in place. Optionally remote control enables HADR employments without local humans being required. Our new innovations are far superior to current methods of carefully packaging and shipping single drones as very costly and inefficient in time to pack and packing materials used by the manufacturer, time to unpack and getting the drones ready-to-fly by the on-site HADR personnel. Our teams agile on-demand mass manufacturing processes and supply side chains are able to rapidly scale production to HADR requirements for the initial 100 and 320 HoneyBees for Phase II; Plus the 1000 lots required for Phase III. By scaling the number of production nodes, within VRR, ASU, and our network for small distributed manufacturing firms we can scale to 1000 HoneyBees per month (objective), per 1.5 months (threshold). Further mass production numbers are supported by adding additional distributed manufacturing firms already organized by ASU into production networks. Phase II iterative evolutions are envisioned to further reduce production times and costs for HoneyBees down to <$150. 2) Control systems for unmanned platforms for Group 1 UAS benefits derive from VRRs Fused Augmented Realities Common Controller ((FAR-CC) OSD/Army & ONR/USMC sponsored) enabling very rapid downloading of the survivor/first-responder destination coordinates, and mass launching from HellHives. 3. Notional payload concepts based on using COTS technologies:-- VRR innovations include the required HADR payloads; Plus includes additional other DoD payload options for ISR and/or electronic warfare emitter detections for detection and location of first responders and survivors. Addition anticipated benefits are within the non-public areas of this document.

Keywords:
UAS, Unmanned Surface Vehicles, USV, Unmanned Systems, unmanned aircraft systems, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, UxS, HADR