KAIROS AUTONOMI INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N201-X01

Description

Kairos presents an innovative, cost-effective approach for converting existing watercraft, both commercial and military,  into optionally unmanned surface vessels (USV's).  We propose using our existing Rapidly Installable Robotic Appliqué Kit (RIRAK) in surface vessels in place of a human operator.  The resulting USV may be controlled remotely by an operator, and/or tasked with path-following, which is a navigation automation which allows the robot to maneuver the vessel along a series of UTM/GPS coordinates.  Such USV's can be used for ferrying supplies and/or personnel in the event of relief or assistance operations, when qualified vehicle operators are a) injured, b) too few in number, or c) unwilling or unable to navigate in disaster areas. The existing Kairos RIRAK (the P4U Uomo) has proven its capability to be rapidly installed into ground vehicles, in about 15 minutes, and convert them into optionally Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV's).  To migrate the RIRAK for use in USV's requires minor to significant enhancements based upon the mode of operation.  It is proposed the RIRAK automate surface vehicles with the following three modes of operation: tiller, steering wheel, and weight distribution. The RIRAK will undergo a series of improvements as the design approach is changed for the surface vessel mission.  As discussed below, various mechanisms will be developed to convert existing RIRAK capabilities designed for ground vehicles, to be translated for use in typical, surface vessels though to be obtainable in the environment of natural disaster. In addition, we envision the substitution of some stainless steel and plastic parts for those currently made of aluminum, to accommodate the ocean water environment.  Electro-mechanical parts such as drives and servos will receive additional water protection, as will power connections and circuit boards