09 novembre 2015 par  Jacques Marouani - electroniques.biz

L'investissement initial d'un milliard de dollars au cours des cinq prochaines années servira à mettre en place les deux sites prévus - l'un près de l'université de Stanford en Californie, l'autre à proximité du Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - et à les doter en personnel (environ 200 salariés)

Le numéro un japonais de l'automobile, Toyota, vient d'annoncer la création aux Etats-Unis d'une société de R&D spécialisée dans l'intelligence artificielle et la robotique, dans laquelle il va investir un milliard de dollars en 5 ans.

Cette nouvelle structure, Toyota Research Institute, dont le siège sera situé dans la Silicon Valley, devra aider à combler le fossé entre la recherche fondamentale et le développement de produits, a expliqué Toyota dans un communiqué diffusé à l'ouverture d'une conférence de presse du Pdg Akio Toyoda à Tokyo.

Toyota Research Institute, qui doit voir le jour en janvier 2016, sera dirigée par Gill Pratt, un spécialiste de la robotique qui travaillait jusqu'à récemment au sein de l'agence américaine des projets de recherche avancée sur la défense (DARPA).

L'investissement initial d'un milliard de dollars au cours des cinq prochaines années servira à mettre en place les deux sites prévus - l'un près de l'université de Stanford en Californie, l'autre à proximité du Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - et à les doter en personnel (environ 200 salariés).

Dans la même optique, Toyota avait dévoilé début septembre un partenariat avec ces deux prestigieuses universités américaines, avec à la clé un investisserment de 50 millions de dollars sur cinq ans également.

RESTON, Va., Nov. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire

Solutions Company to Provide Research and Development in Support of the Shared Spectrum Access for Radar and Communications Program

Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a national security, health, and engineering solutions company, was awarded a prime contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to provide research and development in support of Phase 2 for the Shared Spectrum Access for Radar and Communications (SSPARC) program. The single-award cost-plus fixed-fee contract has an eleven month base period of performance, an eleven month option, and a total contract value of approximately $14 million, if the option is exercised. Work will be performed primarily in Arlington, Va.

The SSPARC program seeks to improve radar and communications capabilities through spectrum sharing. In Phase 1 of the SSPARC effort the Leidos team proved, via a high-fidelity end-to-end simulation, that the minimum distance from military radar that commercial wireless may operate can be reduced 50x.  Two innovative interference mitigation mechanisms, coordinated frequency hopping and mainbeam avoidance were developed to allow shorter minimum stand-off distances. In Phase 2 of the contract, Leidos will perform laboratory testing and a field demonstration to validate the technology using real-time software with physical radar and communications systems.  If successful, the algorithms developed will allow increased radio frequency spectrum availability for both radar and communications systems, which is currently a significant operational constraint.

"We look forward to providing DARPA with real-time radio frequency management expertise to assist with the expansion of spectrum sharing between radar, military radios, and commercial wireless systems," said Leidos Group President, John Fratamico.  

About Leidos
Leidos is a science and technology solutions leader working to address some of the world's toughest challenges in national security, health and engineering. The Company's 19,000 employees support vital missions for government and the commercial sector, develop innovative solutions to drive better outcomes and defend our digital and physical infrastructure from 'new world' threats. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $5.06 billion for its fiscal year ended January 30, 2015. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com. 

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 30, 2015, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

Sep 25, 2015 (SPX)

Washington DC - DARPA's Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS) research effort recently demonstrated a prototype of a low-cost, fully automated parafoil system designed to extend maritime vessels' long-distance communications and improve their domain awareness. Towed behind boats or ships, TALONS could carry intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communications payloads of up to 150 pounds between 500 and 1,500 feet in altitude-many times higher than current ships' masts-and greatly extend the equipment's range and effectiveness.

DARPA has successfully tested a TALONS prototype that can be deployed by hand from smaller boats, or by mast from larger ships. Before open-water testing, TALONS' rapid development began with land-based testing near Tucson, Arizona, in June 2014, followed by mock-up testing and measurement near Assateague Island National Seashore in Virginia in December of that year.

TALONS R and D began bench-testing the system in March 2015. Field testing on the water started in early May, and ran through June near Baltimore, Maryland, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. More than 20 TALONS flights were launched over that period, testing the system under various wind conditions and developing TALONS for different platforms.

In the Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore, the TALONS team improved hand-deployment techniques for smaller boats and sent the system up to 500 feet in altitude, tuning and programming automatic launch-and-recovery and autopilot systems. The Virginia Beach demonstration occurred several miles offshore and used a mast-deployment technique that extended TALONS' reach to 1,000 feet in altitude to display the system's utility for larger ships.

TALONS is part of DARPA's Phase 1 research for Tern, a joint program between DARPA and the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research. Following successful testing, DARPA may transition TALONS technology to the U.S. Navy.

16 juin 2015 by DARPA

27 avr. 2015 by DARPA

27 mars 2015 DARPA

Read Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) "Sea Hunter"

To qualify for the DRC Finals, the new teams had to submit videos showing successful completion of five sample tasks: engage an emergency shut-off switch, get up from a prone position, locomote ten meters without falling, pass over a barrier, and rotate a circular valve 360 degrees.

Mar 06, 2015 (SPX)

Washington DC - The international robotics community has turned out in force for the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals, a competition of robots and their human supervisors to be held June 5-6, 2015, at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., outside of Los Angeles. In the competition, human-robot teams will be tested on capabilities that could enable them to provide assistance in future natural and man-made disasters.

Fourteen new teams from Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, the People's Republic of China, South Korea, and the United States qualified to join 11 previously announced teams. In total, 25 teams will now vie for a chance to win one of three cash prizes totaling $3.5 million at the DRC Finals.

"We're excited to see so much international interest in the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals," said Gill Pratt, program manager for the DRC. "The diverse participation indicates not only a general interest in robotics, but also the priority many governments are placing on furthering robotic technology. As this technology becomes increasingly global, cooperating with the United States in areas where there is mutual concern, such as disaster response and homeland security, stands to benefit every country involved.

"We're looking forward to seeing how the teams ensure the robustness of their robots against falls, strategically manage battery power, and build enough partial autonomy into the robots to complete the challenge tasks despite DARPA deliberately degrading the communication links between robots and operators," said Pratt.

To qualify for the DRC Finals, the new teams had to submit videos showing successful completion of five sample tasks: engage an emergency shut-off switch, get up from a prone position, locomote ten meters without falling, pass over a barrier, and rotate a circular valve 360 degrees.

"There will be roughly 15 different commercial and custom physical robot forms demonstrated at the DRC Finals," said Pratt. "Although seven teams will use the upgraded Atlas robot from Boston Dynamics, it's each team's unique software, user interface, and strategy that will distinguish them and push the technology forward."

In tandem with the DRC, DARPA is sponsoring the Robots4Us contest, which asks U.S. high school students to prepare 2- to 3-minute videos describing their vision of the roles they'd like to see robots play in future society. Up to five individual winners (with chaperones) will be selected to receive a trip to attend the DRC Finals in person and participate in a panel discussion before an audience of media, engineers, and industry leaders. The deadline for entries is April 1, and rules for the contest can be found here.

The DRC Finals event is free and open to the public and media. In addition to the competition, an on-site robotics exposition (DRC Expo) will showcase technology related to disaster response, robotics, and unmanned aerial systems, and include an overview of DARPA's mission and legacy.

WASHINGTON, March 2, 2015 By Cheryl -  Pellerin - DoD News

Today’s national security landscape challenges the Defense Department with threats ranging from low-tech, lone-wolf terrorists and high-tech peer adversaries to extremist groups that use both approaches, like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency prepares for them all.

DARPA Director Dr. Arati Prabhakar spoke here recently with CNN defense correspondent Barbara Starr at the First Annual Future of War Conference. “My first tour at DARPA was in the Cold War, and at that time [we] worked against the one monolithic existential threat and everything else was just sort of backseat,” Prabhakar said. “We don't really have the luxury of dealing with [just] one kind of national security threat today,” she added.

Read more

DARPA plans to introduce lightweight, integrated systems that will provide dismounted infantry squads unprecedented awareness, adaptability and flexibility in complex environments. The SXCT projevct will demonstrate how Soldiers and Marines can intuitively understand and control their complex mission environments - DARPA artist concept.

Feb 10, 2015 Defence-Update

Warfighters in aircraft, on ships and in ground vehicles have benefited tremendously from technological advances in recent decades, with advanced capabilities ranging from real-time situational awareness to precision armaments. But many of these benefits depend on equipment with substantial size, weight and power requirements, and so have remained unavailable to dismounted infantry squads who must carry all their equipment themselves. This gap leaves squad members without the degree of real-time situational awareness and support for decision-making that warfighters typically experience while on board aircraft and ships and in vehicles.

“We are working towards advanced capabilities that would make dismounted infantry squads more adaptable, safe and effective”

DARPA’s new ‘Squad X Core Technologies’ (SXCT) program aims to address this challenge and ensure that dismounted infantry squads maintain uncontested tactical superiority over potential adversaries without being overburdened by cumbersome hardware. The goal is to speed the development of new, lightweight, integrated systems that provide infantry squads unprecedented awareness, adaptability and flexibility in complex environments, and enable dismounted Soldiers and Marines to more intuitively understand and control their complex mission environments.

“SXCT aims to help dismounted infantry squads have deep awareness of what’s around them, detect threats from farther away and, when necessary, engage adversaries more quickly and precisely than ever before,” said Maj. Christopher Orlowski, DARPA program manager. “We are working towards advanced capabilities that would make dismounted infantry squads more adaptable, safe and effective.”

SXCT is seeking to introduce overwhelming tactical superiority at the small-unit level by enabling squad members to more quickly and effectively collect, synthesize and share data about their fellow members, their environment and potential threats without increasing physical or cognitive burdens.

Among the areas included in the program are:

• Precision Engagement: Precisely engage threats out to 0.6 mile (1,000 meters), while maintaining compatibility with infantry weapon systems and without imposing weight or operational burdens that would negatively affect mission effectiveness
• Non-Kinetic Engagement: Disrupt enemy command and control, communications and use of unmanned assets at a squad-relevant operational pace (walking with occasional bursts of speed)
• Squad Sensing: Detect potential threats out to 0.6 mile (1,000 meters) at a squad-relevant operational pace
• Squad Autonomy: Increase squad members’ real-time knowledge of their own and teammates’ locations to less than 20 feet (6 meters) in GPS-denied environments through collaboration with embedded unmanned air and ground systems

Specifically, Squad X plans to focus on providing:

• Integrated access to and control of mobile sensors, including full-motion streaming video
• A three-dimensional common operating picture
• The ability to organically locate and identify friendly forces and threat locations in near real time
• In previous request the agency also requested proposals for other focus areas including sensing technologies for warfighter health and operational status and non-optical and distributed sensing solutions.

Studies commissioned by Squad X program are to define the critical issues in Squad X implementation. The agency is also looking at critical infrastructure components such as radios, networking, computing applications, sensing, autonomous systems and size weight and power (SWaP). Integration Studies should also address Squad X architecture and integration approach. The goal is to establish an open, common, commercially extensible, government-owned architecture; defining key interfaces and standards; outlining the technology integration plan.

DARPA has scheduled a Proposers Day on Friday, February 27, 2015 to discuss the program with potential participants. In addition to the regular performers the agency invited ‘non-traditional performers’, including small businesses, academic and research institutions and first-time government contractors to participate. Special Notice document announcing the Proposers Day and describing the specific capabilities sought is available here.

December 16, 2014 by David Pugliese

New .50-caliber bullets that can change direction after they have been fired could soon make U.S. military snipers more deadly, the American publication, the Stars and Stripes reports.

More from the Stars and Stripes article:

The EXACTO program — or Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance — is being developed by California’s Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, LLC at the behest of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, according to a DARPA video posted on YouTube.

Read more

Nov. 11, 2014 By RAY LOCKER, USA TODAY – Defense News

The Pentagon is looking for ways to base multiple unmanned drones aboard larger aircraft, from which the drones will depart and return after they fly intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in hard-to-reach areas, according to a new request from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The request for information released over the weekend seeks drones that would be based on larger aircraft, such as B-52 or B-1 bombers or C-130 transport planes, to cite a few examples. The smaller drones would then fly from the larger planes, conduct their missions and return to the aircraft, which would then be able to fly away from potentially contested airspace.

“The agency envisions a large aircraft that, with minimal modification, could launch and recover multiple small unmanned systems from a standoff distance,” the request for information says.

Drones are continuing to play a larger role in US military and intelligence operations, including flights over Africa and the Middle East in search of terrorist groups.

DARPA’s latest request is part of a series of research programs aimed at developing aircraft and weapons that will enable US forces to cover large distances to get to coastal and other regions that are often protected by rival forces.

Earlier this year, DARPA released requests for long-range, anti-ship missiles that would break down the defenses of potential rivals such as China and Iran, as well as underwater drones that would be based aboard larger submarines. Another DARPA plan would enable multiple drones to communicate with each other autonomously without a central station on the ground.

The GXV should be able to reach 95 percent of all terrain, according to goals set by the program.

Sep. 10, 2014 - By KEVIN LILLEY – Defense News

A new research program aims to get the next-generation ground combat vehicle off the drawing board.

And if the drawings of it by an Army civilian are any indication, future soldiers could be riding in a lightweight, agile, easy-to-deploy platform ripped straight from the pages of a graphic novel.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announced the launch of the Ground X-Vehicle Technology program last month, but in May, a report called “GXV Operational Vignettes” went out from the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. It includes more than two dozen pages of drawings from James Scott, with TARDEC’s advanced concepts team, offering views of a possible GXV design in a variety of scenarios:

■ Swiveling its turret after somehow “sensing” an enemy sniper, then dispatching most of the building that housed the sni­per.

■ Descending into the war zone via airdrop — eight stored in a single C-17 — and transporting up to 96 soldiers over uneven terrain and through urban environments thanks in part to four independent tracks that can maneuver like wheels.

■ Deflecting incoming ordnance with “movable armor” and stopping a rocket-propelled grenade in midair via an unnamed weapons system.

A TARDEC spokesman confirmed the drawings were part of the Army’s contribution to the DARPA effort and referred all questions to DARPA. A DARPA public affairs contact for the program, who did not wish to be named, said in an email that all available information about GXV-T is on the DARPA website.

Sept. 5 marked a Proposers Day event for the program in DARPA’s offices outside Washington, DC, which was attended by Paul Decker, TARDEC’s deputy program manager for GXV.

The event served to educate possible stakeholders in the project’s requirements, according to a DARPA news release. Those include producing a vehicle that’s 50 percent smaller and lighter than “today’s armored fighting vehicles” and requires half the crew; is twice as fast; can access 95 percent of terrain and has “reduced signatures that enable adversaries to detect and engage vehicles.”

That last part may have led to media reports touting the military’s new “stealth tank,” but beyond reducing detectability, DARPA officials hope to make the vehicle stronger by making sure it can identify and avoid enemy attacks.

“It’s about breaking the ‘more armor’ paradigm,” Kevin Massey, DARPA program manager, said in the release. “We plan to pursue groundbreaking fundamental research and development to help make future armored fighting vehicles significantly more mobile, effective, safe and affordable.”

It’s too early to say what vehicles the GXV might replace, if any, when it would reach even the earliest stages of production, or even whether the designs will resemble the final product — DARPA-generated concept art includes a vehicle with large wheels instead of tracks, for example.

TARDEC, which provides the technological backbone for all Army and Marine ground vehicles, would continue its involvement with the project long past the sketch stages, though DARPA will be in charge of the initial contract awards, which are planned for April 2015 or sooner, according to the news release