Multiple Resource Host Architecture for the Mobile Detection Assessment and Response System

Abstract : The initial effort during Phase I of the Mobile Detection Assessment and Response System (MDARS) Program was aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of a single robotic security platform operating under the high-level control of a remote host with the direct supervision of a human operator. This document describes the concept of a distributed host architecture geared towards a single guard controlling up to eight robots and explores some of the key issues that were considered in the actual development. The objective is to field a supervised robotic security system that basically runs itself until an exceptional condition is encountered that requires human intervention. A globally shared world model is maintained to provide a real-time collision avoidance capability complementing the Cybermotion virtual path navigation scheme employed on their K2A robotic platform. A centralized database of high-value inventory is routinely compared with observed inventory as monitored by interactive RF tag-reading systems onboard the patrolling robots. Each robot is equipped with microwave and passive infrared motion detection sensors providing full 360-degree coverage, and an intelligent security assessment algorithm is employed to maximize the probability of detection while simultaneously filtering out nuisance alarms.