Robotic perimeter detection system

Sandia National Labs is developing and testing a robotic perimeter detection system for small unit operations (small groups of warfighters). The objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of using a cooperative team of robotic sentry vehicles to assist the warfighter in guarding military assets. Eight 'Roving All Terrain Lunar Explorer Rovers' (RATLERs) have been built at Sandia and are being used as the test platform. A radio frequency receiver on each of the RATLERs alerts the sentry vehicles of alarms from hidden miniature intrusion detection sensors (MIDS). The MIDS currently deployed include seismic, magnetometer, passive and beam-break infrared sensor. Each RATTLER keeps an internal state representation of each of the MIDS and of the other vehicles' locations. This representation is updated several times per second as the vehicles broadcast their current state and any alarms received. When an alarm is received, each vehicle looks at this state information and decides whether it should investigate the alarm based on the proximity of itself and the other vehicles to the alarm. As one vehicle attends an alarm, the other vehicles adjust their position around the perimeter to better prepare for another alarm. This cooperative team concept can significantly reduce the workload and increase the effectiveness of a single warfighter in the battlefield. Using robot vehicles makes the perimeter detection system easily mobilized for redeployment.

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