ABSTRACT
The Naval Postgraduate School’s Small Robotic Technology (SMART) Initiative
is an ongoing research effort within the Combat Systems Science and Technology
Curriculum that engages in forward-looking applications of small robotic technology for
military employment. The goal of the program is to develop a multipurpose robotic
platform that is capable of hosting varied sensor packages for military research. This
thesis successfully modified a Foster Miller Lemming tracked vehicle: Payload volume
was increased to allow for ease of systems testing and access while incorporating a
method for deploying varied sensor modules on a towed sled. Original micro-controller
hardware has been replaced with a COTS system that allowed for simplified interfacing
with a Honeywell digital compass and a Motorola G.P.S. card. Communications with the
Robot were provided through the Internet via a modem. A control interface for use on a
personal computer was implemented by creating a JAVA application; the control
interface has also been converted to a JAVA applet that the Robot is capable of
downloading to a user via a web interface. Follow on research will fully integrate the
Robot with a variety of sensor packages including a synthetic array seismic sonar, visual
and infrared devices and chemical detection devices.
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