MDARS Multiple Robot Host Architecture

Abstract

The Naval Command Control and Ocean Surveillance Center (NCCOSC) RDT&E Division (NRaD) has developed a command and control architecture to provide coordinated control of multiple autonomous interior and exterior vehicles from a single host console. The Multiple Robot Host Architecture (MRHA) is a distributed multiprocessing system that can be expanded to accommodate as many as 32 remote platforms. The initial application will employ eight Cybermotion K2A Navmaster robots configured as remote security platforms in support of the Mobile Detection Assessment Response System (MDARS) Program. This paper discusses the evolution of the command, control, and communications aspects of the MRHA, including the current status of Interior developmental testing in an operational warehouse environment at Camp Elliott in San Diego, CA. 2. Background The MDARS program is a joint Army-Navy effort to develop a robotic security and automated inventory assessment capability for use in Department of Defen...