Researchers Create a Robotic Stunt Pilot

Feb. 8, 2002 -- In Afghanistan, unmanned drones have proven crucial to the U.S. war on terror and military researchers want to make them even smarter.

"We want to have intelligent vehicles that can respond to real-time threats and make decisions on the fly," says Allen Moshfegh, program officer at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). In essence: To give pilot-less flying drones, human-like smarts.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), such as the Predator and Global Hawk drones so far have completed risky missions without endangering the lives of American pilots. But not all of the drones have returned home.

Three Predator UAVs were lost last year — apparently shot down while on reconnaissance missions over the "no-fly" zones of Iraq. And while no Predators have been shot down in Afghanistan, chances are likely to increase as these drones begin to take on more hazardous assignments such as striking terrorist targets.

"One of the things about Global Hawk or Predator is that they are slow and dumb," Moshfegh says. And this makes them vulnerable to unexpected threats such as anti-aircraft fire.

Developing a Robo-Chopper Pilot

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may have recently taken a step closer to the goal of a smart drone.

Last November, Eric Feron, a professor in MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and his team of researchers created a model helicopter that performed an amazing stunt. The small hobby copter was able to automatically complete a 360-degree aileron roll (a corkscrew-like twist) as it flew in a straight line — all without a human pilot at the controls.

At the heart, or rather brains, of Feron's accomplishment is a set of complex mathematical codes that actually learns the aerial moves from an experienced human pilot. "Human [pilots] are very good at doing [acrobatic stunts]," says Feron. "But the goal was to create the software to do it."

A computer along with navigational aids such as three tiny gyroscopes and a global positioning satellite receiver was attached to the toy chopper and recorded the commands given by a human pilot on the ground. The information was then used to create a computer simulation from which Feron and his associates were able to develop the basic software needed to control the helicopter.

The software, which runs on a computer with a "Pentium-like processor" at 266 MHz and 16 megabytes of random memory, breaks down the complex set of pilot inputs into basic mathematical algorithms. By using these "building blocks" of steps, the computer could recreate almost any complex maneuver by just recombining the right set of algorithms.

Creative Top Gun Moves

Moshfegh says that Feron's system, which the Office of Naval Research partly funded, could help lead to smarter UAVs. In addition to providing a UAV's navigation system with advanced aerial maneuvers, the algorithms could create "new generations of [flight] maneuvers never thought or experienced before," he says.

And that could give UAVs a decided edge in hostile airspace.

For example, if a radar-guided missile attacked the UAV, its new navigation program might recreate a slew of "aggressive" combat maneuvers such as an aileron roll or a sharp bank. But, "if it tries all the other preprogrammed maneuvers and it doesn't work, [the program] would create more aggressive maneuvers to overcome it," says Moshfegh.

More over, Mark Tischler at NASA's Ames Research Center says Feron's research could lead to perhaps the ultimate spy craft.

"You might want to fly a six-inch machine, and send it thru to an air conditioning duct and it lands in the corner somewhere and listens to conversation," he says. "In order to do that, you need a lot of smarts. This is a building block to that step."

Waiting for More Research

That could be years away, however, since even Feron admits that more research still needs to be done.

For one, Feron and his team will need to see if they can recreate more complex maneuvers besides the aileron roll. They next plan to attempt a "split-S" — a half roll, followed by a half twist which is a basic move used by air combat pilots to reverse direction quickly.

However, with winter set upon the Northeast, Feron says it might be a while before he and his team can get back out to flight trials. "We're waiting for better days," he says.

And researchers such as Tischler and Moshfegh say that while the military is currently testing unmanned helicopter drones, pilotless choppers probably won't be combat-ready until 2006 or later.