This proposal will outline a concept for a feasible, lightweight, unmanned Remote Runway Survey System (RRSS), using recent developments in sensor and processing technology. These developments in sensing and processing have provided the ability to sense the environment and to autonomously navigate using low power, at a light weight and at a low cost. It is critical to obtain information about potential assault zones to assess their suitability for use as landing zones or drop zones. These zones require precise measurements of many characteristics that currently must be accomplished by Air Force Special Tactics operators over the entire surface of the potential assault zone. Such an operation requires the personnel to be exposed, which can alert others to their activity and seriously compromise their safety. A highly innovative solution to this problem would be to create unmanned systems which could autonomously characterize the assault zone without significantly disturbing the site. We will evaluate and design the integration of technologies to scale the sensors, communications and processing required to complete this task in a small package size that allows the system to be lightweight and low-cost. The development of the Remote Runway Survey System (RRSS) has immediate and obvious applications in a number of fields. Geotechnical surveys to determine the soil suitability for construction of structures is currently a very large commercial industry. Additionally, surveys of existing structural members, including bridge decks, is of increasing concern to public safety. Current soil, concrete and pavement characterization technologies often require processing of data at a lab at significant time and cost. Commercial and military airports could also benefit from the system, which could periodically automatically survey an area of runway for obstructions and verify that the pavement and soil for the runway is still safe. The RRSS could provide accurate, low-cost rapid results that would be of great use to industry. The RRSS would be immediately applicable to these commercial areas with no additional investment in development after Phase II, and we would expect that the demand would also be immediate.
Keywords: Robotics, Remote Measurement, Soil Characterization , Sensors, Communications
