| Brian Cox is the Director of Unmanned Systems at ASI. Brian has 20 years of experience in robotics, intelligent systems and distributed system development. Brian supported the Dexterous Robotics Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center from 1989 to 1999. While at NASA, he developed an associate system to help the astronauts launch the Chandra X-Ray Observatory on Shuttle Mission STS 93. While working for Lunar Exploration Inc., Brian helped create | | the Lunar Prospector Mission which was flown to the Moon by NASA in 1998.
Q: How is ASI changing the nature of unmanned systems management? A: Whether they operate in the air, on the surface, underwater or in space, ASI brings significant improvements to the management of unmanned systems. With our Associate Systems technology residing in control stations and in the unmanned systems, all components collaborate to accomplish a set of common goals. Mission plans, concepts, and goals are shared among all the assets. The central operator can easily assess and manage the network, aided by expertise captured in ASI's structured knowledge base. Equally important, the unmanned systems are capable of planning, monitoring, and adapting their own actions as situations evolve. BACK TO TOP Q: What significant benefits does ASI deliver for unmanned systems? A: ASI's technology allows for cooperative planning features and functions that result in breakthrough benefits:  | Improved performance - Cooperative planning and real-time assessments help ensure fully informed actions. | | | Informed decisions - Operator decision-aiding produces feasible plans as conditions change. | | | Smarter control - ASI's intelligent, intent-driven control architecture enables the operator to easily maintain control of mixed initiatives and effectively manage critical missions. | | | Better resource efficiencies - A single operator can control multiple unmanned assets | | | Superior responsiveness - Decentralized, self-organizing task allocation means that unmanned systems not only are capable of reactive behavior, but also of adaptive planning in dynamic situations. | | | Reduced communications requirements - Stability is assured even when communications are intermittent. | BACK TO TOP Q: What is ASI's experience in delivering successful unmanned systems? A: ASI has realized proven success in a variety of areas related to unmanned systems operations. Our experience includes: | | Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) Operations - As a Boeing partner, ASI developed solutions to aid decision making and mission management by Mission Control Station operators as part of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) program. | | | AUCTIONEER task allocation - ASI solutions enable decentralized, autonomous task allocation capabilities for multiple UAVs in a dynamic environment. (A DARPA/AFRL initiative) | | | Intelligent control for automated vehicles - Developed for the Air Force Research Laboratory ICAV program, ASI technology simplifies the efficient management of multiple autonomous unmanned air vehicles. | | | Intelligent control of unmanned ground vehicles - ASI technology played a key role in the CTA-Robotics program, directed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), which focuses on enabling inanimate systems (or sub-systems) to perform in a seemingly human fashion. | BACK TO TOP |
