Extending Mobile Security Robots to Force Protection Missions

摘要

The Mobile Detection Assessment Response System (MDARS) is a joint Army-Navyrndevelopment effort to field mobile robots at Department of Defense (DoD) sites for physical securityrnand automated inventory missions. MDARS was initiated in 1989 to improve the effectiveness of arnshrinking guard force, but was quickly expanded to address the intensive manpower requirementsrnassociated with accounting for high-dollar and critical DoD assets. Two types of autonomous platformsrnpatrol inside warehouses (Interior) and outside of storage facilities (Exterior), carrying payloads forrnintruder detection, inventory assessment, and barrier assessment. The MDARS console for commandrnand control is based upon the Multiple Resource Host Architecture (MRHA), which allows a singlernhuman guard to oversee and monitor up to 255 platforms and/or unmanned sensors.rnRecent improvements to satisfy mission requirements for physical security have expanded thernsystem capabilities to enable force-protection missions in tactical situations. Rapid-prototypingrnapproaches have facilitated investigations into aiming and firing less-than-lethal weapons on anrnunmanned platform, deployment of a marsupial capability to carry smaller robots, and seamless alldigitalrncommunication between unmanned sensors and unmanned ground and air vehicles. This paperrnprovides an overview of the MDARS evolutionary development approach (using mobile robots andrnfixed sensors) for both physical security and force protection missions. Special treatment is provided on