Cooperative Unmanned, Air-Ground Vehicle Search and Rescue Exercise

Abstract

This paper describes the application of a modified model-based systems engineering methodology for employing architecture in system analysis (MBSE MEASA) to create and validate a cross- domain collaborative autonomous system. Results from the early stages of the MEASA methodology are presented, specifically, the architecture descriptions of Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV)-Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) team collaboration while conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. This study replaces computer-based modeling and simulation inherent to the original MEASA methodology with a field exercise which validated the architecture descriptions. The applied methodology highlights the feasibility of a UAV-UGV team collaboratively conducting structured, rudimentary tasks in a mission scenario. The result of this paper, validated the model for cross-domain unmanned vehicles conducting expeditionary warfare and an analyzed assessment of the system design. This research serves as a model-based systems engineering analysis method for the future development of employing collaborative autonomous systems with military utility.