Description:
TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Ground Sea
OBJECTIVE: The objective is to develop a plugin for Unreal Engine 4 that can be used to simulate a wireless radio network using the Unreal Engine environment (e.g. Landscape Map, weather …) that supports the same conditions as in the real world (e.g. line of distance interference) for evaluation of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) operating in Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUMT) scenarios.
DESCRIPTION: In order to appropriately develop and test autonomy software/algorithms for Army ground vehicles the Army needs to use modeling and simulation (M&S) to look at all the different conditions and scenarios the autonomy software will operate in.A key component of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) operating in Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUMT) is the Army wireless radio data network.The goal of this SBIR topic is to provide the Army with a way to develop and test RAS with a correct representation of the Army wireless radio data network using M&S that includes the 3D terrain with features (e.g. ground material, bushes/trees, roads, buildings) and weather conditions.The simulation should support being able to model the entire network, antennas and military wireless radios so GVSC can evaluate how the wireless radio would operate in a military network during virtual military experiment (e.g. autonomous vehicle convoy, manned unmanned vehicle teaming) using Unreal Engine simulation vs how they would operate in real world with line of distance interference.Army data networks need to work in harsh ever-changing conditions.They can do so through sophisticated radio technologies, though they are not always successful.The Army needs a simulation capability that can predict failures (i.e what is the probability of a packet reaching its destination) in real time during the execution of simulation. Full information of the terrain and weather as well as with respect to all radio sources will be available in real time (or can be pre-calculated as needed).It is expected that a continually updated channel model will be created taking into account relevant aspects, considering multipath, scatter, Doppler, fading models, diffraction, etc. as appropriate.Models of radios used by the Army such as the Persistent Systems MPU5 will use this channel model to determine the likelihood of packet loss, as well as latency estimates.This SBIR is seeking innovative solutions to the development of Radio Network Model as plugin for Unreal Engine.The solution should be able to use the 3D terrain with features along with the simulation’s weather conditions in Unreal Engine to determine how the radio and radio network would be affected. The solution should allow the simulation user to attached the radio to vehicles in Unreal Engine simulation and dynamically be able to handle the movement of these vehicle and the affects to the radio network.
PHASE I: In phase 1 the vendor shall develop an architecture and describe how it will meet the goal of creating Radio Network Model Plugin for Unreal Engine Vehicle Simulation. The vendor shall demonstrate using a simplified models of a channel as well as of a radio are expected as the result of the Phase I effort. These models will utilize a Government provided Unreal terrain database to extract relevant information to make this feasible.
PHASE II: In phase II the vendor shall fully develop the architecture started in Phase 1. The expected deliverable would be a channel model as an Unreal Engine plugin that models enough to be useful to the radio models downstream.To build an effective model, additional data may be added to the terrain.If so, these additions to the 3D terrain will be identified by the offeror along with how this would be supported. The product shall include the ability through the plugin to attach the simulated radio to the simulated vehicles in Unreal Engine.The product shall demonstrate modularity by including at least one radio model with the capability provided via an editor in Unreal Engine or via a configuration file for Army personnel to be able to create additional radio models. The product shall demonstrate ability to provide the simulate radio network during an Unreal Engine vehicle simulation scenario. If feasible, captured data of the MPU5 radio’s performance in the terrain modeled by the Unreal database will be provided for the purposes of validation of the model.
PHASE III: Military application is for the development and testing of robotic and autonomous vehicles systems in manned unmanned teaming which are highly dependent on a modeling and simulation environments with a simulated radio network.A product modeling radio networks with dynamic players using them would be useful for more than just Army Ground Vehicle simulations.The Unreal Engine is poised to be used in many commercial simulation, not just games.These commercial simulations include, but are not limited to, self-driving vehicles (and their networks), emergency/natural disaster simulations, vehicle network simulations, as well as mobile phone simulations.
KEYWORDS: Modeling & Simulation, Radio Channel Modeling, Radio Simulation, Unreal Engine
References:
[2] P. Almers, E. Bonek,,A. Burr, N. Czink, M. Debbah, V. Degli-Esposti, H. Hofstetter, P. Kyösti, D. Laurenson, G. Matz, A.F. Molisch, C. Oestges & H. Özcelik, A Spatially Consistent Radio Channel Model Enabling Dual Mobility, 2014 IEEE 80th Vehicular Technology Conference; [1] FM Schubert, A. Lehrer, A Steingass, P Robertson, BH Fleury, R Prieto-Cerdeira Modeling the GNSS Rural Channel:Wave propagation Effects caused by Trees and Alleys, Proceedings of ION GNSS 2009; [3] MPU5THE WORLD’S FIRST SMART RADIO, https://www.persistentsystems.com/mpu5/; https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/
