State of Texas Advanced Research Program, Austin, TX
1 January 2002 – 31 December 2003
Co-P.I. John L. Junkins
Total award $240,000
NASA Langley Research Center
Over the last five years, the Aerospace Engineering Department at Texas A&M University has been researching and developing an intelligent Vision Based Navigation system called VisNav. The VisNav system comprises a new kind of optical sensor combined with structured active light sources (beacons) to achieve a selective or “intelligent” vision. Light is structured in the frequency domain, analogous to radar, so that discrimination and target identification is near-trivial even in a noisy ambient environment. We have applied this technology to the problems of autonomous docking and rendezvous of spacecraft (NASA Johnson Space Center), autonomous landing of UAV’s on ships (Office of Naval Research), and autonomous aerial refueling of UAV’s (Army Research Office). Essentially, anywhere that extremely accurate relative position and flight rate information is needed with miniaturized equipment.
Specific tasks and research objectives:
- Identify the technology factors and requirements for extending the basic VisNav technology.
- Use these technology factors and requirements to enable development of a VisNav wireless data glove for the remote control of vehicles using hand motions and gestures.
- Demonstrate real-time operation of the data glove for controlling a high fidelity, real-time, flight simulator.
Working with me on this program are Graduate Research Assistants:
- Brian Wood
- Roshawn Bowers
- Yuanyuan Ding