Robotic Sentry – Intruder Detection and Assessment
Security for storage yards, dock facilities,
and airfields is a significant issue for all
of the military services and homeland security
efforts. A joint Army-Navy effort launched in
1993 has yielded an on-road autonomous vehicle
that can execute 12 hours of guard duty without
stopping for a break.
The Mobile Detection Assessment and Response
System, a joint Army-Navy program managed by
the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical
and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) PM - Force
Protection Systems, is intended to develop an
automated sentry that can verify inventory, detect
intruders, and check gates as part of a complete
security system that includes fixed detection
capabilities and human security guards.
Benefits of a Robotic Sentry
- Manpower reduction – unmanned, unattended,
remote security and surveillance capability
- Force protection – remote threat assessment
capability allowing appropriate response
- Future integration with fixed battlefield
intrusion detection sensors
- Support future anti-tamper capabilities
MDARS, developed by GDRS, is equipped with real-time
obstacle avoidance systems that enable it to
share the road with other vehicles. Capable of
detecting a walking, crawling, or running intruder
at 100 meters, MDARS completes its scheduled
patrol missions autonomously, randomly varying
its path along the patrol. MDARS’ unique
independence means that a human operator is able
to control up to 10 of these robots simultaneously.
Efforts are now underway to evaluate how MDARS
could be modified to do rear guard sentry duty
in support of active war zones overseas, as well
as homeland security missions along US borders. |
