High-level mobility controller for a remotely operated unmanned land vehicle

The U.S. Army Laboratory Command, as part of the Department of Defense Robotics Testbed Program, is developing a testbed for cooperative, real-time control of unmanned land vehicles. The program entails the development and integration of many elements which allow the vehicles to perform both autonomous and teleoperated functions. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is supporting this program by developing the vehicle control system using the Real-time Control System (RCS) architecture. RCS is a hierarchical, sensory-based control system, initially developed for the control of industrial robots and automated manufacturing systems. NIST is developing the portions of RCS that control all vehicle mobility functions, coordinate the operations of the other subsystems on the vehicle, and communicate between the vehicle and the remote operator control station. This paper reviews the overall control system architecture, the design and implementation of the mobility and communication functions, and results from recent testing.This work is funded by the U.S. Army Laboratory Command. This paper was prepared by U.S. Government employees and is not subject to copyright. Equipment listings do not imply a recommendation by NIST.