Under the Army’s Combat Medic UAV Program for autonomous UAS for rapid delivery of time critical medical supplies and recovery of wounded, PiAC successfully developed and flight demonstrated the KlearPath autonomous collision avoidance, landing zone selection and navigation system. PiAC, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon, developed the KlearPath LADAR-based system. Under IR&D funding, PiAC successfully flight demonstrated the KlearPath technology on the Boeing ULB, demonstrating the World’s first fully autonomous collision avoidance and landing zone selection capability on a full scale man-rated rotorcraft, and received the 2010 DoD Tibbitt’s for Small Business Innovation. PiAC was awarded a follow on contract for design application of the KlearPath System to the H-60 for an Obstacle Proximity Warning System (OPWS) to address the need for sea-based rotary wing aircraft pilot aide for use in Degraded Visual Environments during VERTREP operations. The VERTREP mission is one of the few rotary wing missions that require constant approaches to moving ships at sea, at night, and during inclement weather. The Piasecki team successfully demonstrated a fused EO/IR and LADAR-based sensor system and verified the effectiveness through both simulation and an operational prototype testing of the sensor and software.
