Award

ReconRobotics recognizes the need for a Special Operations Forces (SOF) Operator to have an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) that enhances their Situational Awareness (SA) and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.  The highly capable UGVs in use today are large and heavy, requiring significant tradeoffs between capability, portability, and suitability to a mission.  A small (2-10 lb) cyber-hardened ground robotics system featuring advanced cybersecurity features, increased sensor fidelity over any platforms in a similar size class, and interoperable with a range of modern networks and common controllers is desirable to supply maximum capability in minimum size and weight. In this SBIR Phase I program, ReconRobotics proposes to study the feasibility of developing the Tactical Integrated Ground Robot System (TIGRS), a small (2 to 10 pound) intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance UGV capable of integrating with tactical networks and compatible with current battlefield radio systems, interoperable with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) and controllers from Tomahawk.  This study will leverage ReconRobotics’ two decades of experience in developing, fielding, and supporting extremely lightweight micro-UGV to SOCOM customers.  Our feasibility study will conduct a rigorous, model-based design exploration to facilitate trade discussions with SOF stakeholders. The study will investigate identifying critical components, modeling and empirically testing those components for the trade-offs between performance and SWaP, creating models of aspects of the full system, and assessing the overall system's architecture cyber survivability. Joining the ReconRobotics team for this effort is Galois, who has a proven track record of providing cybersecurity expertise for SOCOM and other US Government Customers and Kossett Engineering who has a track record of robust and reliable electro-mechanical systems engineering. The resulting TIGRS platform will provide dismounted SOF operators facing near-peer threats the ability to operate in an increasingly complex and lethal multi-domain battlefield for extended periods of time while providing increased sensor fidelity, tactical mobility, and longevity over systems currently available to the operator.