The Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded advanced technology company Mikros Systems Corporation a $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract for topic number N193‑A02: “Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) Autonomous Behavior Development.”

Through this contract, Mikros Systems will develop a Sensor In-stride Diagnostic, Correction, and Confidence Component (SID3C) that can be installed on current and future USV and UUV vehicle platforms. SID3C will monitor shipboard sensors and sensor data to detect degradation or failures and correct recoverable sensors. The component will also help autonomy systems appropriately filter unreliable sensor data.

The goal of Phase I is to showcase the feasibility of the proposed technology, as Mikros Systems will illustrate the concept by developing a limited scale system.

“The Navy’s call for in-stride sensor degradation solutions aligns well with our AN/SYM-3 heritage on LCS,” says Corey Friedenberger, Sr. Systems engineer and program manager for this effort.

“This Phase I award is an exciting opportunity for us to grow our capabilities with machine learning technology and support the future of autonomous vehicles.”

According to Mikros Systems, the Navy could use this system to further advance unmanned, autonomous vehicles “where sensor data quality can impact decision making and mission success.” The company says that the requirements for near-real-time, unattended problem detection and correction present an opportunity for merging its existing “expert system” techniques with machine learning capabilities.

Mikros Systems adds that this approach could be used on several platforms including the Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV), Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV), Large Displacement Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (LDUUV), and Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV).

“We see multiple future applications for this new technology across Navy and other DOD applications,” says Tom Meany CEO.

“We have built our business on developing new technologies through the SBIR process and continue to work diligently to seek additional awards which oftentimes lead to large DOD procurement programs.”