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Grand Challenge
Kick Off Part 1
Kick Off Part 2
Preparations Part 1
Preparations Part 2
Preparations Part 3
imaging
aerial photo 1
train photo 2
aerial photo 3
motion deblur
Progress 1
Progress 2
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BML wins a place at the 2008 MoD Grand Challenge |
- Barnard Microsystems Limited (BML) is both pleased and thankful to have been selected to contribute to the UK MoD Grand Challenge. The UK Ministry of Defence has agreed to pay BML for defined expenses that will be incurred in the preparation for the competition to be held in August 2008.
- See the Grand Challenges page for more information on this event.
- BML will base its entry in the competition on the work already performed in the use of Unmanned Air Vehicles in oil and gas pipeline monitoring.
- Likely robotic vehicles to compete in this event include small land vehicles, some with tethered balloons, quadrotor-format helicopters, small helicopters and small aircraft.
- See The Teams for a listing of the participating Teams.
Robots battle for military prize
By Jonathan Fildes, Science and Technology reporter, BBC News
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6919271.stm
The Grand Challenge has been set up to meet the needs of urban warfare
For two weeks during the summer of 2008, an army of autonomous robots will march across the Wiltshire countryside.
The machines will compete in the UK Ministry of Defence Grand Challenge, a competition to find new technology to support ground troops in urban areas.
Winning designs include a swarm of miniature helicopters and a host of sensor-laden unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Technology plays a huge role in our forces, It often makes the difference between success and failure - and sometimes life and death," said Defence Procurement Minister Lord Drayson on announcing the winners.
"The challenge is to produce a semi-autonomous system that can detect, identify, monitor and report a range of physical threats in an urban environment."
The winner of the competition will win the R J Mitchell Trophy, named after the "father of the Spitfire" WWII fighter plane and also funding from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Target lock
In total, the challenge received 23 proposals from firms and research institutions.
Grand Challenge judges have now chosen to fund six of them to compete in the finals; a further eight teams have entered the challenge with private funding. Fourteen teams have now been picked as finalists to go head to head in a range of trials next year.
The competition, carried out in August 2008, will focus on the urban environment and will be carried out at Copehill Down, an army training centre on Salisbury Plain.
"There are going to be four categories of targets: an improvised explosive device; a sniper; some kind of four-by-four vehicle with a gun on it; and bunches of 'hoods' dressed in semi-military uniform carrying arms," Mike Martin, chief judge of the challenge, told the BBC News website.
The winner will not necessarily be the team that identifies all of the targets correctly, according to Mr Martin.
For example, a remote-controlled vehicle will lose points for needing input from a human operator.
"Something that is completely autonomous - you just launch it; it goes off, does its own thing and comes back and says unequivocally X, Y and Z are targets - would score maximum points," said Mr Martin.
Urban challenge
The Grand Challenge will deliberately focus on robots that can aid troops in the urban environment, an increasingly common battle arena. Built during the Cold War and modeled on an East German village, the mock-up settlement will be swept by the teams for possible threats.
Copehill was built during the Cold War to teach urban fighting
"Urban operations are both very important and they're becoming more difficult to carry out safely," said Lord Drayson. "The challenge of the urban environment is the degree to which you have this unstructured clutter and the unexpected."
"This is an environment which is growing in density and complexity on a daily basis."
As well as dealing with the sheer complexity of having to differentiate between a sniper and an innocent civilian leaning out of a window, the vehicles will also face a number of environmental hazards.
Of particular concern to the teams, which have been allowed to map the Copehill site, are the wind, trees and the near-invisible overhead cables that criss-cross the site.
"They could be a problem for us because we might be flying quite low, but we should be able to pick them up on the cameras," said Jeremy Old of Team Dragonfly.
The privately funded group has proposed a 2m-long, lightweight, hovering vehicle equipped with a zoom lens and with thermal or infrared imaging.
"We can fly quite slowly which will give us time to react, but it all needs thinking about."
Numbers game
The teams now have 12 months to build their prototypes.
Some have relatively simple designs, based around a single vehicle.Major General John Cooper added: "The threat you are facing is not only small arms, in terms of direct fire, but also potentially anti-tank [weapons]... and increasingly complex improvised explosive devices.
The winner of the Challenge will receive a trophy and funding
Barnard Microsystems, for example, plans to adapt an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV ) it has designed to survey oil pipelines in remote areas.
"The platforms have got autonomous threat detection sensors on them based on visual, thermal and radar," explained Dr Julia Richardson, head of the team.
One of the most innovative designs was proposed by a team from Swarm Systems.
Its proposal consists of eight to 10 "dinner-plate sized" quad-rotor helicopters which would be able to fly in and out of buildings.
"There is only so much information you can capture from one vehicle," Stephen Crampton, the head of the team, told the BBC News website.
Equipped with high-resolution cameras, the swarm will use numbers to its advantage.
"You can get images from different points of view, which is often very important because something you can see from one angle, you can't from another," said Dr Owen Holland, another member of the team.
Others, such as team Stellar has proposed a multiple vehicle approach. Its Saturn (Sensing and Autonomous Tactical Reconnaissance Network) proposal consists of two different UAVs and an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6919271.stm
Information on the Teams involved in the MoD Grand Challenge has been circulated by the MoD in the form of a Press Release and is reproduced here.
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The Group 1 Teams funded by the MoD |
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Barnard Microsystems Team
They are offering a system based on the use of Unmanned Helicopters. More information on the work performed is to be found on this web site. Barnard Microsystems, for example, plans to adapt an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle it has designed to survey oil pipelines in remote areas. - from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6919271.stm |
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MIRA Team
They are offering a land based platform carrying mainly optical sensors with a tethered aerial camera for situational awareness.
- from www.mira.co.uk/media/ GFS enters new flying-saucer UAV in UK MoD's Grand Challenge DATE: 8 February 2008 SOURCE: Flight International GFS Projects is to participate in the UK Ministry of Defence's Grand Challenge competition in August using a new 800 mm diameter Coanda-effect vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle that will co-operate with a robotic ground vehicle. The UAV will have a carbonfibre structure provided by the UK composites specialist Lola Group, a two-stroke engine running on an oil/petrol mix and a maximum take-off weight of 18.5 kg. Payload capacity is 4 kg and maximum fuel load 2.5 kg. Test flights are expected at the end of April. "We are working with [product engineering specialist] MIRA on the MoD's Grand Challenge and we are talking to a raft of people about investment. We have completed the first contract with the [US military]," says GFS founder Geoff Hatton. MIRA will provide the robotic ground vehicle for the challenge and Hatton is meeting with the US military to discuss a possible follow-on contract. Air blown over the curved surface of the saucer-shaped vehicle generates lift as a result of the Coanda effect. Gust response is still an issue, Hatton says, and its resolution is linked closely to the vehicle's mass. The heavier the UAV, the more effective its gust resistance. |
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Silicon Valley Team
They are offering a combination of fixed, ground and air platforms with optical, laser range finder and acoustic sensors. The following from an advertisement (see http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/JN363/Researcher/) for a position at Kingston University gives some idea of their contribution: ResearcherVisual SurveillanceComputing, Information Systems and Mathematics, Digital Imaging Research CentreThe successful candidate will contribute to the development of image processing and computer vision methods, to be deployed in the system to be demonstrated. Such methods will extract features from the available video streams derived from fixed and moving camera platforms and output these and other data that are indicative of the level of threat. The work will include both laboratory and field experiments to evaluate existing and innovative approaches. A knowledge of programming using C/C++ in this application domain is essential. A PhD in Computer Science or a related discipline, or work with embedded or real time systems design, would be desirable. A third team, Silicon Valley, has opted to rely less heavily on autonomous vehicles. They have used off-the-shelf technology for the hardware as much as possible, and focused more development onto image recognition and analysis software. "If you can automate that part, then you have a useful tool," explains team leader, Norman Gregory. "What we intend to do is deploy various platforms, depending on what the scenario is." The team will use a mixture of ground and air-based vehicles, although the team is not yet releasing the exact details. The main ground vehicle is the size of a ride-on lawnmower and can be GPS-guided or remotely directed by a human. |
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Stellar Team
They are offering SATURN: an integrated system with a high level and a micro-Unmanned Air Vehicle, an Unmanned Ground Vehicle and a control station, fusing data from visual, thermal and radar sensors. "The platforms have got autonomous threat detection sensors on them based on visual, thermal and radar," explained Dr Julia Richardson, head of the Team. Others, such as Team Stellar has proposed a multiple vehicle approach. Its Saturn (Sensing and Autonomous Tactical Reconnaissance Network) proposal consists of two different UAVs and an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). - from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6919271.stm Cranfield’s input to ‘Team Stellar’ will involve the Applied Mathematics and Computing Group focusing on creating computer based software for automatic target recognition. The Guidance and Control Group at Cranfield University, Shrivenham, will be working to co-ordinate vehicle guidance and execution. Blue Bear Systems Research Limited are designing both UAV systems and their associated control and avionics systems, and Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems are involved with overall system integration and development of the project’s ground control station. Stellar Research Services will be leading project management, while Marshall SV will provide the UGV, and TRW Conekt will be providing headway, obstacle and threat sensors for the UGV. - from http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2007/page11378.jsp TRW Conekt will be providing specialist headway, obstacle and threat sensors for the UGV (provided by Marshalls Specialist Vehicles), combining its skills from the Automotive, Defence & Aerospace Industries. - from http://www.conekt.net/trw-conekt-in-mod-grand-challenge.html Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) persistence in the urban environment - from http://www.bluebearsystems.com/Default.asp?page=387
This project is the third MAV project awarded to BBSR, supported by the Research Acquisition Organisation, UK MOD. The work uses our rapid prototyping approach to design, integrate and flight test new and emerging technologies in the following areas:
One funded team, the Stellar Consortium, uses two aerial robots and one ground-based one. A 3m wing-span unmanned air vehicle (UAV) will fly 65 metres above the village and use cameras to gather wide-area surveillance used by software to direct a smaller, 1m UAV flying at 20 metres, and an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), (see image, middle right). Those two vehicles use thermal, visual, and radar sensors to make more detailed observations that can be reported back to the base station. "Physically, the vehicles all have to be launched by someone," explains Julia Richardson, Director of Stellar Research, "but after that, the mission-planning software hosted at the ground station takes full control."
Photographs taken at the Grand Challenge All Teams Briefing on the 30th April 2008.
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Swarm Systems Team
They are offering Owl: a lightweight, quadrotor, Unmanned Air Vehicle with three, high-resolution, still colour cameras. Its proposal consists of eight to 10 "dinner-plate sized" quad-rotor helicopters which would be able to fly in and out of buildings. "There is only so much information you can capture from one vehicle," Stephen Crampton, the head of the Team, told the BBC News website. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, the swarm will use numbers to its advantage. "You can get images from different points of view, which is often very important because something you can see from one angle, you can't from another," said Dr Owen Holland, another member of the Team. - from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6919271.stm
Owl swarmA team called Swarm Systems uses more robots. "We need to gather as much sensory information as possible," says team leader Stephen Crampton, "so we're using eight vehicles. And we're going by air because it gives you more viewing angles." Dubbed "Owls", their battery-powered, Frisbee-sized vehicles weigh under a kilogram and have four small propellers (see image, right). Able to hover and dart like birds, they are GPS-guided and communicate with one another, and the base station, using Wi-Fi. Each Owl carries a trio of 5 megapixel cameras. "Without giving too much away, the processing power on board each of these vehicles is pretty impressive," adds Crampton. "They could run full-blown Windows Vista." |
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Team Tumbleweed
They are offering a small UAV with stabilised electro-optical sensor system. "Flying ball uses feature-tracking software to identify threats." - from http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/may/02/sciencenews.military |
The Group 2 Teams have elected to use their own funding to support their entry in the Grand Challenge.
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The Group 2 Teams |
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Cortex Team
They are offering Tiger: a multiple platform UAV concept that uses an array of multi-spectral sensors and target recognition techniques.
Above: glimpse of the possible basis of the Qinetiq system, seen at the kick-off meeting at Copehill Down. |
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Dragonfly Air Systems Team WITHDRAWN
They are offering a lightweight UAV with sensor package.
The above image is from the Dragonfly Air Systems web site at http://www.dragonflyairsystems.com/, showing a two bladed, lightweight, helicopter. |
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Mindsheet Team
Offering their Testudo: an Unmanned Ground Vehicle with an air surveillance platform and tethered blimp relay station.
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Rapid Systems Solutions Team Merged with Team Tumbleweed
They are offering a four wheeled ground robot incorporating a supporting tethered air vehicle.
The above image is from the RSS web site at http://www.rapid-systems-solutions.com/new_page_4.htm "RSS are in consultation with sensor and communications partners and aim to develop a winning solution. The air system development vehicle has been designed and manufactured with a lead time of 2 weeks. The development is on time, on target, and on budget". - from http://www.rapid-systems-solutions.com/new_page_4.htm |
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Sagentia Team WITHDRAWN
Two small, stabilised, helicopters with a combination of infra-red and visible spectrum sensors. |
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Team i-Spy
A combined short range and medium range UAV system to deliver optical and thermal sensing. A TECHNOLOGY whiz kid from Camden Town could change the face of warfare if his ideas are adopted by the armed forces. Tom Foran is entering the MoD's Grand Challenge to find new ways of detecting threats to its troops. The 20-year-old and his team of fellow students from Middlesex University are designing a UAV (unmanned autonomous vehicle) that will fly above the ground spotting snipers, bombs and enemy vehicles. The hi-tech spy plane will be mounted with thermal imaging equipment and robotic cameras and will relay information back to base without the need for a pilot. The York Way resident said: "Other teams entering the challenge are designing ground-based UAVs. But we are developing a flying vehicle as the air is probably the safest place to be in a battlefield. "Being airborne will also give the best viewing angles and provide the most detailed information." The five-man team, including lecturer Dr Stephen Prior and a PhD student, expect the project to cost more than £30,000. Dr Prior said: "We are now seeking partners to help fund the development of this exciting work."
from http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/ Article by by Ed Thomas ed.thomas@hamhigh.co.uk |
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Team Locust
They are offering multiple sensors carried by small UAVs to create a sensor array of the target area. |
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The Thales Team (T3)
Thales are also looking to engage a whole network of Schools, bringing the excitement of this technical challenge to the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Photographs taken at the Grand Challenge All Teams Briefing on the 30th April 2008.
The University of Reading has a fascinating site / blog at http://ruchallenge.com/ full of interesting information, including a shot of a land vehicle shown next.
The above image, from http://ruchallenge.com/ shows "last year's robot" which forms the starting point for the work by staff and undergraduate students at the University of Reading. |
Finally two Teams have expressed a real interest, but have not offered a full solution to the Challenge. They wish to continue their association with the Challenge under their own funding to aid others or demonstrate their capability when appropriate. These Teams are welcomed as Associates.
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The Associate Teams |
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MBDA The services of their NEMESIS (Network Enabled Multi-Environment System Integration Solution). |
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Warwick University Mobile phone technology for through-wall imaging. |
© Barnard Microsystems Limited 2006 - 2008