ROBOTS: Flying Robots -- Part 3 -- Tomorrow's Bird 'Bot: Robo-Raven

19 September 2013

            Robo-Raven is a new reconnaissance and surveillance drone developed by the Army Research Laboratory. Detectible to radar, this drone isn't stealth.   But it adds some new and unique twists to what we normally associate with camouflage.

 Robo-Raven

            As a surveillance and reconnaissance drone, the small Robo-Raven is designed to gather information while flying over a stationary or mobile target.  However, these basic functions, alone, would make it little different from any other military drone.

 Robo-Raven

            However, reconnaissance and surveillance aren‘t Robo-Raven‘s only functions.  It's also designed to accomplish its mission while being observed, but not identified.  In other words, Robo-Raven is designed not just to look like a bird, but to be, reliably, mistaken for a bird.

            Making a military combat or reconnaissance device look like something else is nothing new.  It’s camouflage. 

            During World War II, airplanes were painted a particular color and outfitted with carefully positioned lights, which made them blend into the sky.  This delayed identification by ground spotters and allowed an addition measure of surprise.

            Military vehicles are painted with an irregular green, gray, brown, and black pattern to blend into surrounding foliage.  Now used in fashion clothing, that particular color pattern retains the name “camouflage.” 

            However, these examples use paint and lights (counter illumination) to achieve visual crypsis.  Crypsis is a type of camouflage in which an object is designed to blend in with a certain type of background, making the object difficult to see or detect. 

            However, Robo-Raven adds something new to drone technology with perhaps one of the most advanced and innovative uses of mimesis.  Mimesis is another form of camouflage less mysteriously called masquerade: the camouflaged object looks like something else, which is of no special interest to the observer.

 Robo-Raven

            Robo-Raven is designed not only to look like a bird, but also to move like a bird.  The drone's wings are designed to move independently and make its bodily movements more naturally match those of a bird.  But that’s not all.  This drone's pattern of flight is characteristic of a bird.

 Robo-Raven

            So, to improve its masquerade, Robo-Raven is equipped with a substantial set of animatronic movements replicating a bird’s kinesics (body language) and manner of flight.  Borrowed from Hollywood, animatronics is the art and technology of designing mechanical models of animals that move like the real thing.  These models are used to create the illusion of real animals for film audiences.  However, Hollywood’s animatronics is about entertainment, while Robo-Raven’s animatronics is about concealment.

            Robo-Raven isn’t just a camouflaged object that moves, it’s animatronic movements are part of its camouflage -- part of it’s masquerade.  But Robo-Raven’s masquerade doesn’t end with its appearance and movement.  It has something more.  Something that takes it even more deeply into the world of biorobotics

            The term biorobotics refers to a special sub-field of robotics: the study of how to make robots emulate or simulate living biological organisms.  For example, when students of animal behavior observed that the leader of a school of fish beat, or swished, its tail with greater frequency than the followers in the rest of the school, they formulated the question: Does a particular tail movement make a particular fish the leader of a school? 

            To answer this question, researchers at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University used a basic form of biorobotics.  They designed a "bio-inspired" robotic fish, which mimics the tail movements of a swimming fish.  This robotic fish's tail could be set to beat at different speeds by remote control.  When researchers placed their robotic fish in a water tunnel with a school of golden shiner fish, the robotic fish was ignored.  But when its tail speed was set on high, it became the leader.

            The robotic fish was more than just a robot with animatronic movements designed to entertain or even fool human beings.  Its movements were designed to fool other fish.  And Robo-Raven can do the same with other birds.

            John Gerdes, mechanical engineer with the Aberdeen Proving Ground has reported that Robo-Raven "already attracts the attention" of birds in its area.  "[S]eagulls, crows, and songbirds have flown around the Raven in formation" and the drone has been attacked (unsuccessfully) by "hawks and falcons." [video] So, Robo-Raven’s animatronic movements not only fool humans, they also fool other birds.

 Robo-Raven Attacked by a Hawk

            Of course, Robo-Raven is designed to fool human observers into believing that it’s a bird.  But this drone's ability to fool real birds is not just an interesting sidelight -- it was one of the design objectives.  Fooling other birds is yet another level of Robo-Raven’s masquerade.

 

            The designers understood that this drone’s “social interaction” with other birds would also be observed by humans.  When Robo-Raven is seen flying with a flock of real birds or being attacked by real birds, human observers will be all the more certain that Robo-Raven is "just a bird" -- not a reconnaissance and surveillance drone.

            So, Robo-Raven’s masquerade is composed of its appearance, its movements and, even, its interactive behavior.  In other words, this drone has the appearance and movements of a bird plus something more.  Robo-Raven has the behavior of a bird among birds.

            Robo-Raven is a substantial step forward in both drone technology and biorobotics: a robot that, outwardly, so closely resembles a bird that it becomes more difficult for people or animals to distinguish between the real and the robotic.  In the future, we may all be eying the birds around us -- wondering whether they’re really birds. This technology certainly turns the table on birdwatchers.  Who’s watching who?

See also: 

ROBO-RAVEN'S SURVEILLANCE CAMERA/TRANSMISSION:

Surveillance Camera/Transmission

ROBO-RAVEN'S NEW SOLAR CELLS:

 Robo-Raven: Solar Cells Installed in Wings

FROM UK: HOW ROBO-RAVEN WILL BE DEPLOYED

[Please be patient.  Robo-Raven's story is the third of three in the video below]

 How Robo-Raven will be Deployed

ROBOTS: Flying Robots – Part 2 – Today’s Bird ‘Bot: Maveric

10 June 2014

Maveric

            What is DARPA looking for in the mini UAV, an “Unmanned Aerial Vehicle?”  Well, if you go to their website you’ll find (1) that DARPA knows what it wants, and (2) it produces some long lists of “required” or “necessary” project objectives.   

            But let’s take a step back and refocus on the big picture.  DARPA is looking for mini UAV’s with two characteristics.  First, maneuverability – a maneuverability that rivals the most remarkable flying critters -- birds and insects.  The ideal surveillance and reconnaissance mini-drone would be able to “investigate” its environment with the resourceful maneuverability of a flying insect or bird searching for its next meal.

            Second, DARPA wants camouflage.  It’s one thing to develop a mini UAV able to engage in surveillance and reconnaissance activities.  But, the information obtained through surveillance and reconnaissance is most valuable when the "subjects of observation" do not know they have been observed.  To accomplish this, a mini UAV must not be easy to see or, at least, easy to identify.

            So DARPA wants a UAV that (1) maneuvers like the most acrobatic of birds or flying insects and (2) will not be identified as a UAV by an observer.  Amazingly, these are not conflicting objectives.  In fact, animal-like maneuverability and camouflage dovetail perfectly.

            What DARPA calls “biologically inspired” is, in robotic technology, referred to as “biomimetics” or “biomimickry.”  These terms describe a kind of revolution in the concept and design of robots. 

            In the 1950’s, the sci-fi vision of robotic technology was both exotic and strange.  The technology of the future was envisioned and presented as something completely different and contrary to our natural biological surroundings.  However, when technology confronted reality, we biological organisms seem to have had the last laugh because we could (and still can) do a whole lot of extremely useful things that our most sophisticated technology cannot.

            The jeep took a basic automobile and raised the center of gravity, increased the size and scale of the automotive suspension system and produced spectacular off-road performance for a machine with wheels.  But the wheel, itself, was limited.  Every Rover we’ve sent to Mars ended its life when it got stuck. 

            Human beings aren’t the strongest animal in the forest, but if just two of us were with those Rovers on Mars, we’d have extended their useful lives by getting them “un-stuck” in short order.  Why?  Because we have a repertoire of movements and leverage that we can use to apply force in almost any direction.  The best of those early sci-fi ’bots looked high-tech but, in fact, were functionally stunted.

            When sci-fi was still dominated by those inhuman and unnatural versions of mechanistic technology, a new technological methodology was, quietly, born.  “Biomimetics” was the first term used to describe the development of technology designed to imitate and replicate the activities of biological systems and organisms.  Then, another term, “biomimicry,” was widely adopted to describe any technology imitating (copied from) from nature. 

            But, in some contexts, biomimicry is more of a necessity than a choice.  If you want drones that work in a particular way, and the only known example of such performance is a biological organism, you’ll either have to imitate the organism or forget the project altogether.  So, to get flying ‘bots that maneuver the way flying insects and birds do, the ‘bots must be designed to imitate the actual form and movement of these same creatures.

            But, once you manage to replicate the form and functionality of a flying insect or a bird in a UAV, how do you camouflage it?  That's easy.   Disguise it as . . . a flying insect or a bird!  In modern robotics, biomimckry and camouflage often go hand in hand.

            A little more detail.  This form of camouflage is of a type called “mimesis” or “masquerade.”  The masqueraded object is quite visible to the observer, but is designed to be mistaken for something else.  That “something else” would be of no particular interest to the observer.  So, when the mini UAV flies overhead, those who are being reconnoitered will think, “It’s just a bird.” 

            An early attempt at this combination was the “Insectothopter.”  Everyone “knew” that the techno-savvy needed to build a robotic insect that actually flew like the real thing was not available in the 1970’s.  But the CIA did it anyway.  The laser guided Insectothopter was powered by a small gasoline engine.  Loud?  Maybe, but if you’ve ever heard a real dragon fly as it flies past your ear . . . .  Well, you’d hardly notice the difference. 

            But the Insectothopter never was “deployed” because of a stability issue.  For a mini UAV to be effective in surveillance and reconnaissance, the operator had to be able to direct it to a defined target.  With the Insectothopter, a  five mph cross-wind made such navigation impossible. 

Insectothopter

            Only in 2011 was the next bio-inspired mini UAV unveiled.  The “Nano Hummingbird” or, technically, the “Nano Air Vehicle” (“NAV”) was the first fully functional bird-drone designed and able to perform surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

            The “Nano Air Vehicle” project began in 2006 with Aero Vironment, Inc. working under the direction of DARPA.  If you know the history of the Insectothopter, you can appreciate the significance of one of the DARPA project requirements:  the Nano Hummer must demonstrate the ability to hover in a 5 mph side-wind without drift of more than one meter.

"Nano Hummer"

            Robo-Hummer was the first successful surveillance and reconnaissance bird ‘bot.  But Robo-Hummer was designed in imitation of the hummingbird -- nature’s version of helicopter.  DARPA also wanted a bird ‘bot that would perform more like a winged aircraft.   The next bird ‘bot would be capable of high-speed flight.  But it would, also, have an appearance close enough to that of a bird to achieve masquerade.  In other words, the viewer would mistake the mini UAV for a bird.

Nano Hummer's Development

            Florida’s Prioria Robotic responded with a mini UAV -- Maveric.  In terms of its field capabilities, Maveric is an amazing technical achievement.  This UAV can be carried, launched and operated by a by a single person.  The entire bird ‘bot is “bendable” and when not in operation, is carried fully assembled, but folded up, in a 6 inch tube.  The operator simply (1) pulls it out of the tube, (2) powers it up, (3) checks its sensors, and (4) launches it by throwing it into the air.

Maveric

            In flight, Maveric can reach a speed of 55 knots (63 mph). More amazing is Maveric’s fully autonomous operation from launch to landing.  How does it know its target?  It has a point-and-click feature that allows the operator to find the target on a screen.  Then, point and click on the target.  After launch, what does the operator do next?  Often, nothing.                                                                        

            Maveric is able to operate with full autonomy from launch to landing.  This ‘bot doesn’t require a human pilot to operate it in flight.  The operator need only define the mission – that is -- where to fly and where to land.  How does Maveric do it?  Through the use of a system called Merlin. 

            Merlin is Prioria’s proprietary processing platform.  The Merlin “brain” is carried and contained entirely on board Maveric during flight.  The “brain” processes images and operates vision-based controls – without the assistance or necessity of a human operator.  This makes Maveric the first smart SUAS, “Small Unmanned Aerial System.”   Of course, Maveric can also be flown manually with a joystick while still providing the “pilot” with autopilot assistance.

Maveric

            Of course, from a distance, Maveric looks like a bird.  And, in many environments, can be expected to be mistaken for bird.  Its smart system also provides a measure of stealth in terms of electronic transmissions.

             Radio signals providing a live audio or video feed to the remote operator are as common in surveillance drones as they are problematic.  The “problem” is radio waves.  These radio transmissions create a detectable signature that can disclose the presence and location of a surveillance drone. 

            With Maveric, the operator can control the timing of transmissions to delay broadcast of the live feed in sensitive locations – locations in which a radio transmission might be detected and recognized.  These transmissions aren’t lost -- only delayed.   Transmission will resume based on the operator’s instructions.

            Of course, some might question the usefulness of this radio stealth.  After all, Maveric’s use of radar and other navigational signals could just as easily disclose its presence.  But Maveric makes only very limited use of any “other signals.”  

            How does it manage that? 

            Merlin has some more magic.  The Merlin “Brain” also engages in on-board image processing with on-board vision based controls.  In other words, Maveric avoids obstacles and finds its target by sight.   This 'bot carries a self-contained vision-based navigation system, which allows it to perform it mission without real time human assistance, while minimizing the use of any electronic navigation systems that produce detectable radio signatures.

Maveric

            Of course, Maveric doesn’t look exactly like a bird.  It has the silhouette (shape and color) of a bird, but, unlike Robo-Hummer, Maveric doesn’t have the bodily movements of a bird in flight.

            Is that an issue?  Well, DARPA is working with the Army Research Laboratory and the Maryland Robotics Center to produce yet another bird 'bot with the flapping wings and the bodily movements of a real bird.  It’s still in development, but its name is Robo-Raven.

About Robo-Raven

            But more about Robo-Raven next week.

ROBOTS: Flying Robots – Part 1 – The Original: Nano Hummingbird

12 December 2013

 Part 1 – The Original Bird-Bot: Robo-Hummer 

On 17 February 2011, DARPA announced the development of the first fully functional robotic bird.  The “Nano Hummingbird” or, as it is also less imaginatively called, the “Nano Air Vehicle”  (“NAV”), was the successful result of a project started in 2006 by AeroVironment, Inc. under the direction of DARPA.  Robots, by definition, must “do work.”  And the Nano-Hummer was the first fully functional bird-drone designed and able to perform surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

This robotic hummingbird can remain aloft for 11 minutes and attain a speed of 11 mph.   With a skeleton of hollow carbon-fiber rods wrapped in fiber mesh, coated in a polyvinyl fluoride film, [1] and carrying “batteries, motors, and communications systems; as well as the video camera payload,” the robo-hummer weighs just .67 ounces.

Designed to be deployed in urban environments or on battlefields, this drone is can “perch on windowsills or power lines” and even “enter buildings to observe its surroundings” while relaying a continuous video back to its “pilot.”

Robo-Hummer Flies and Enters Building

(with surveillance feed video inset)



In terms of appearance, the Nano-Hummer was, and is, quite like an actual hummingbird.  Although larger than the typical hummingbird, Nano-Hummer, is well within the size range of the species and is, actually, smaller than the largest of real hummingbirds.  With a facade both shaped and colored to resemble the real bird, the Nano-Hummer presents the viewer with a remarkable likeness of a hummingbird.

The Nano-Hummer isn’t stealth in the sense of evading radar.  Nor is it “cryptic,” that type of camouflage that blends, or disappears, into the surrounding terrain.  Rather, with the appearance of a hummingbird, the designers used a type of camouflage called “mimesis,” also termed “masquerade,” as concealment.  A camouflaged object is said to be “masqueraded” when the object “can be clearly seen, but looks like something else, which is of no special interest to the observer.”  And such camouflage is important to a mini-drone with the primary purpose of surveillance and reconnaissance.

Designing this drone on the “hummingbird model,” however, was not done only for the purpose of camouflage.  The project’s objective included biomimicry, that is, biologically inspired engineering. [2] With the hummingbird, its amazingly diverse flight maneuvers were the object of imitation.  However, UAV’s head researcher, Matt Keennon, admits that a perfect replica of what “nature has done” was too daunting. [3] For example, the Nano-Hummer only beats its wings 20 times a second, which is slow motion compared to the real hummingbird’s 80 beats per second. [4]

Whatever the technical shortfalls, this bird-bot replicates much of the real hummingbird’s flight performance. [5] Not only can it do rolls and back-flips . . .

Back-Flips

. . . but, most important of all, it can hover like the real thing. [6]

[Click the following link to see "hover": video]

Hovering allows the video camera to select and observe stationary targets. 

However, this robot’s ability to hover was not developed just for the purpose of reconnaissance and surveillance.   The “hover” of both hummingbirds and bees attracts so much attention from developers of drone technology because it assures success in the most difficult flight maneuver of all — landing.  In fact, landing is the most complex part of flight, and the maneuver most likely to result in accident or disaster.

When landing, a flying object must attain the slowest speed possible before touching down.  Hovering resolves the problem neatly by assuring that the robot can stop in midair and, therefore, touch the ground or perch as zero speed.  Observe the relatively compact helicopter landing port in contrast to the long landing strip required by an airplane which must maintain forward motion when airborne.

This drone has a remarkable range of movement in flight much like the real hummingbird.   Nano-Hummer “can climb and descend vertically; fly sideways left and right; forward and backward; rotate clockwise and counter-clockwise; and hover in mid-air.”  Both propulsion and altitude control are entirely provided by the drone’s flapping wings.

Robo-Hummer Performs Maneuvers

This remote controlled mini-drone can be maneuvered by the “pilot” without direct visual observation using the video stream alone.  With its small camera, this drone can relay back video images of its location.  The camera angle is defined by the drone’s pitch.  In forward motion, the camera provides a continuous view of the ground.  Hovering provides the best camera angle for surveying rooms. [7]

Video Feed / Camera Angles -- Hover and Forward Motion

To DARPA, it was particularly important that this drone demonstrate the ability to hover in a 5 mph side-wind without drift of more than one meter.  The inability to remain stable in side-winds was the primary issue with the CIA’s “insectothopter,” a robotic dragonfly was developed in the 1970’s. [8]

Insectothopter

This unmanned aerial vehicle “was the size of a dragonfly, and was hand-painted to look like one.” [9] Powered by a small gasoline engine, the insectothopter proved unusable due to its inability to withstand even moderate wind gusts.

CIA's Insectothopter

The Nano-Hummingbird was named by Time Magazine as one of the 50 best inventions of 2011 [10] and has paved the way for the development of a whole generation of bird inspired ‘bots, including Prioria’s “Maveric,” . . .

Maveric

Maveric in Motion



. . . and, the even more “bird-like,” Robo-Raven, which is still in development by the Army Research Laboratory.

Robo-Raven in Flight

Robo-Raven in Motion

. . . And More Robo-Raven in Motion

Also, the development of this first small bird-bot brought the U.S. Air Force one step closer to one of the goals on its wish list: “flocks of small drones.” [11]

And . . . a flock of small drones sounds really cool – as long as the flock isn’t after me.

[Next Week's Post: Part II -- The Maveric -- Today's Bird-Bot]