Abstract: Structured light approaches utilize a laser to project features, which are then captured with a camera. By knowing the disparity between the laser emitter and the camera, the system can triangulate to find the range. Four, 185 degree field-of-view cameras provide overlapping views over nearly the whole unit sphere. The cameras are separated from each other to provide parallax. A near-infrared laser projection unit sends light out into the environment, which is reflected and viewed by the cameras. The laser projection system will create vertical lines, while the cameras will be displaced from each other horizontally. This relative shift of the lines, as viewed by different cameras, enables the lines to be triangulated in 3D space. At each point in time, a vertical stripe of the world will be triangulated. Over time, the laser line will be rotated over all yaw angles to provide full a 360 degree range.

Abstract: The present invention describes a system for changing the properties of the lenses to create changes in focus, magnification, and optical stabilization without changing the shape of the lens or moving the lenses. It uses an acoustic wave that when propagated through the lenses, creates a standing wave that changes the diffractive capabilities of the lens. It involves the properties of many materials to change the diffractive properties when subjected to acoustic waves. The acoustic waves are generally accomplished with a piezo electric transducer or modulator. The frequencies used are in the RF range, depending on the substrate. Substrates used include glass and silicon, as well as more esoteric transparent materials. The system described in the present invention involves the development of a lensing mechanism that comprises one or more acoustio-optic modulator(s), a transparent or semi-transparent substrate where the modulation is applied, and a non-parallel standing wave being propagated in the substrate.

Abstract: A Vehicle Localization Augmentation for Dismounts (VLAD), which extends the technology used by dismount localization systems to include the capability of riding and aligning inertial systems to a vehicle. VLAD takes the proven Warfighter's Integrated Navigation System (WINS) and, when appropriate, increases capabilities by investigating aiding sensors, algorithms, and frameworks to align dismount inertial sensors to vehicle inertial sensors. The two focuses of this effort are initialization and maintaining the solution quality. Initialization is the process where an inertial unit calculates sensor biases in an effort to minimize systemic errors in the localization solution. This process is highly related to the sensor being used. High quality sensors, for example, perform a gyrocompassing operation on initialization. Gyrocompassing measures the Earth's rotation and gives the absolute heading relative to the Earth. On man-portable inertial systems, this process can take 15 minutes.

Abstract: The proposed system, Delayed Telop Aid (DTA), improves the teleoperator's ability to control the vehicle in a three step process. First, DTA predicts robot motion given the operators commands. Second, DTA creates synthetic images to produce a video feed that looks as if the robot communication link had no delay and no reduced bandwidth. Finally, DTA performs closed loop control on the robot platform to ensure that the robot follows the operator's commands. A closed loop control of the platform makes sure that the predicted pose after the delay (and therefore the image presented to the operator) is achieved by the platform. This abstracts away the latency-sensitive parts of the robot control, making the robot's behavior stable in the presence of poorly characterized latency between the operator and the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle capable of multiple varieties of locomotion having a main body; a plurality of motors and blades providing flying capability; each motor being associated with and powering a blade assembly; two legs extending from opposing sides of the main body creating a ground propulsion system. The ground propulsion system having two legs; each leg connected to a track body at the opposing leg end; each track body comprised of a plurality of drive gears; each track body connected to and retaining a track providing ground propulsion. The vehicle can either drive or fly based on its base structure, in additional to carrying a payload. The payload is carried below the main body of the vehicle and between the tracks or running gear. When the vehicle is in flight, the tracks are able to rotate up into a fly/flight mode to protect the blades during flight.

Abstract: A drone that can pour a variety of chemical agents such as oxidizers, silica gelling agents, enzymes, and neutralizers onto areas contaminated with chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. The use of a drone to destroy the chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction is highly beneficial since it allows the exposed toxic areas to be remotely decontaminated without the presence of humans.

Abstract: A broadcasting method has been developed that no longer uses the point-to-point measurements that causes the bottlenecks due to the number of measurements that need to be taken increasing non-linearly with the number of nodes. In addition, not all nodes need to emit. This results in significantly less expensive devices that can be paired with emitting nodes in the infrastructure. The energy emitted by the group is lowered and there is significantly less bandwidth that is used compared to current systems. This system is designed to synchronize remote clocks and localize a group of nodes and comprises at least 4 ranging nodes equipped with a clock, the capability to send and receive messages, the capability to time-tag messages, the capability for the nodes to compute the two sheeted hyperboloids from the emissions of other nodes, and the capability of combining multiple hyperboloids to solve the localization equations.

Abstract: A message conveying system comprising a set of sensors that can detect features such as a camera, LADAR, ranging sensors, or acoustic sensors in which the lead autonomous vehicle conveys messages to the other autonomous vehicles that follow behind of rendezvous locations for the entire convoy to meet when they get separated from the lead autonomous vehicle. The rendezvous locations are derived from paths entered by the operator, by using the general direction of travel, or by using the old route. In addition, different rendezvous points can be chosen based on exactly where the loss of communication occurs. These rendezvous points may or may not lead to the final destination dictated by the lead autonomous vehicle.

Abstract: A system for localizing a swarm of robotic platforms utilizing ranging sensors. The swarm is localized by purposely leaving some of the platforms of the swarm stationary, providing localization to the moving ones. The platforms in the swarm can alternate between a stationary and moving state.

Abstract: A system for localizing a swarm of robotic platforms utilizing ranging sensors. The swarm is localized by purposely leaving some of the platforms of the swarm stationary, providing localization to the moving ones. The platforms in the swarm can alternate between a stationary and moving state.

Abstract: The system for detecting hardware trojans in integrated circuits by analyzing the substrate noise generated by the unique physical properties of such an integrated circuit disclosed herein may compare the substrate noise signatures of a subject IC against the noise signature from one or more known good ICs to detect such trojans, and may measure the electromagnetic, current, or voltage noise of an IC as a function of time synchronized with the test sequence. The system may allow for the testing of such substrate noise at multiple points around the IC, and may further comprise a Cypher Block Chain (CBC) technique to incorporate the noise measurements over time into a signature unique to the IC.

Abstract: The path of a lead autonomous vehicle moving through “deformable” terrain is shared between the lead autonomous vehicle and the following autonomous vehicles. The lead autonomous vehicle records distances to 3D obstacles and whether to drive through them, and the following autonomous vehicles will classify different “obstacles” that were driven through by the leader and allow the planner to drive through them. In “deformable” terrain, errors in wheel odometry will be recorded by the lead autonomous vehicle and the following autonomous vehicles are informed that similar problems will be encountered. These errors are sensed by discrepancies between odometry and inertial and visual odometry.

Abstract: The autonomous headlight height adjustment and masking system disclosed herein may comprise a system that automatically adjusts the level of the headlamps based on the elevation profile to be traversed so as not to blind other traffic by the controller of the high beams adjusting the headlamp to illuminate areas that do not interfere with other humans or vehicles based on the profile of the road or via another method in which there is a mechanism for masking or blocking the light emitted by the head light with a dynamic LCD or light segmented into different areas where they can be selectively turned on and off.

Abstract: A compiler transforms the source code into object code, but it will postpone the assignment of all of the machine language jumps until installed time. This can be performed by labeling the jumps during compiled time, similarly to how variables are labeled for later indexing by the debugger. At installation time, given a random key, the installer will take the jump labels and assign random ordering of the code and data using the key as a seed. The final effect is that the same source code can potentially generate an infinite number of object codes, with the exact same functionality of execution. The main difference, however, is that as more jump labels are included, less fixed offsets between buffers are available to the black hat.

Abstract: Waste collection is performed at regular intervals around the world. The process currently is performed by a team consisting of a waste collection truck that carries the refuse that is driven around urban areas at slow speeds. This waste collection truck usually contains a large opening in the back. A team of humans controls this truck and collects the bins dumping the refuse on the back of the truck and returning the bins to the curb. Usually, the driver (human) of the truck positions the truck so as to minimize the distance that the human garbage collectors need to walk with the loaded bins, and slowly drives a route that take the truck to the collections sites. Because currently most residential neighborhoods and some commercial neighborhoods do not use bins and pick up locations that are easy to automatically lift, it is likely that the process of picking up the bins, depositing the refuse on the truck, and returning the bins to the curb will be performed by humans for some time to come.

Abstract: Multi-rotors use multiple electric motors to drive propellers that allow the multi-rotor to fly, turn, bank, etc. The multiple motors and the associated control device produce EM signals that can be used to detect multi-rotors and distinguish them from other devices with electric motors. To drive a brushless motor, the ESC takes DC from the battery and turns it into three phase AC (sinusoidal or trapezoidal wave), and then measures back EMF pulses (sensorless). This allows one to ensure that the three phase AC is being generated at the proper frequency to turn the motor (timing). For each propeller in the multi-rotor there are usually four different correlated signals at multiple frequencies that are used for detection and false alarm rejection.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for multi-stage printing teaches a 3D printer in combination with one or more additional dispensing nozzles. One or more additional dispensing nozzles are combined with the 3D for filling cavities with other compounds such as foam, sterilizing parts by spraying printed mold with disinfectant or antibacterial treatments, and embedding parts or other materials such as paper, fiberglass, or carbon fiber within the printing layers for additional strength and changing mold properties of a final product. In other embodiments, the apparatus of the present invention can be used in combination with a robotic packaging mechanism for bagging sterilized parts for shipment.

Abstract: A method and system that utilizes the energy storage provided by a vehicle's mass in the form of potential and kinetic energy to optimize the fuel consumption. The system of the present invention is composed of an elevation database, a localization mechanism, and a speed optimization mechanism/engine. The optimization engine receives a desired speed range from the operator such as a max speed and min speed input, and a route or elevation profile form the elevation database. Then, utilizing the elevation database, the localization mechanism and a weight estimate the system and method optimizes the current speed to minimize fuel consumption by way of setting and adjusting the cruise control speed. The route and the weight estimate may be provided or predicted by the optimization engine.

Abstract: A system for localizing a swarm of robotic platforms utilizing ranging sensors. The swarm is localized by purposely leaving some of the platforms of the swarm stationary, providing localization to the moving ones. The platforms in the swarm can alternate between a stationary and moving state.

Abstract: The Canine Handler Operations Positioning System (the Inventors) taught by the present invention consists of one or more dog-worn sensor, one or more handler's shoe-worn sensor, and algorithms for maintaining localization of units of canines and handlers traveling in GPS and GPS-denied areas. The present invention adapts the localization algorithms from the human-based system to dogs, increase performance, reduce SWAP, and further refine the system based on user feedback. The human worn system is modified for the human handler for maximum operational practicality in regard to batteries, size, and interoperability to a radio. The Canine Handler Operations Positioning System (the Inventors) focuses on developing the dog-worn positioning system, modifying the handler's positioning sensor if needed, and integrating the system with an OCU. The complete the Inventors system would provide a positioning solution for both the dog(s) and handler(s).