Experiences with the design and implementation of an agent-based autonomous UAV controller

Abstract

This paper reports experiences and outcomes of designing and developing an agent-based, autonomous mission control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Most UAVs are not truly autonomous or even unmanned but are more correctly termed 'uninhabited' or 'remotely piloted'. This paper explores two quite different approaches for adding autonomous control to an existing UAV. Both designs were implemented using an agent-based language. The first takes a fairly standard approach, adding a layer over the flight control system to control the mission. The second takes the human metaphor of agency more seriously and implements an autonomous controller based on a model of human decision making widely referenced in the military command and control literature. Implementing these two designs allowed a comparison of their relative strengths and weaknesses. Preliminary findings indicate both the feasibility and usefulness of a human cognitive modelling approach to providing autonomous UAV control but indicate a number of important considerations. This paper also reports on the successful first flight trials of the Codarra Avatar UAV under the mission control of the agent and discusses the future flight test program.

Industrial deployment of multi-agent technologies: review and selected case studies

“…The system has been developed in JACK programming environment and makes a good use of classical BDI modeling structures. The system implementation matches the OODA loop model of military decision making [36] that is widely known by military pilots. Unlike in the QuinetiQ case, DSTO focused on a single UAV control and successfully conducted a flight test of the Codarra Avatar UAV in 2004.…”

Using multiagent teams to improve the training of incident commanders

“…Similar to JCATS however, EPICS does not currently allow agents to participate in the simulation. More recently multiagents have been successfully applied to training navy tactics [10] and teams of Uninhabited Air Vehicles [1,2]. Our work is similar to these in spirit, however our focus and lessons learned are based on the train of Incident Commanders in disaster rescue environments.…”

Fuzzy control for kite-based tethered flying robot

“…Autonomous observation systems using a balloon [6], [7] or an airplane [8], [9], [10] have been studied as a solution of information gathering systems from the sky. The balloon system is noiseless and able to stay in the sky for a long time.…”