AST Digital Magazine July 2017 Digital-July | Page 35

Volume 14
July 2017 Edition
Courtesy of DARPA
The test runs had the combined feel of part air
show, part live-fire exercise, with a palpable
competitive vibe between the teams.
Courtesy of DARPA
On the final day, the aircraft had to perform
the following tasks sequentially:
• Fly through a thickly wooded area and across
a bright aircraft parking apron
• Find the open door to a dark hangar
• Maneuver around walls and obstacles erect-
ed inside the hangar
• Locate a red chemical barrel as the target,
and
• Fly back to its starting point, completely on
their own.
“The range is hot, the range is hot, you are
cleared to launch,” crackled the voice of the test
director over the walkie-talkies audible in the ad-
jacent team tents, giving a green light to launch
an attempt.
Sitting under his own shaded canopy, the director
followed the UAV’s flight on two video monitors
in front of him, which showed views from multiple
cameras placed along the course.
Metal safety screens, which resembled giant
easels, protected the camera operators on the
course, as well as teams and course officials,
from any rogue UAVs.
Once a UAV was out of visual range, team mem-
bers followed the progress on monitors.
Each team showed strengths and weaknesses
as they faced the varied courses, depending on
the sensors they used and the ways their respec-
tive algorithms tackled navigation in unfamiliar
environments.
Some teams’ UAVs were stronger in maneuver-
ing indoors around obstacles, while others ex-
celled at flying outdoors through trees or across
open spaces.
Courtesy of DARPA
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