Robotics Roadmap 2013 Highlights

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Roadmap robotRecently, the 2013 Robotics Roadmap was presented to the Congressional Robotics Caucus.  This is an updated version of the 2009 report, which helped established the National Robotics Initiative (NRI), a federal multi- agency joint effort.

Members of the unmanned system community are barraged with roadmaps all the time, so it would be tempting to ignore this one. However, key influencers are involved in this roadmap, so it should be considered seriously. You can slog through all 129 pages of the report or examine the highlights described here.

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5 Ways Defense Vendors Can Survive Sequestration

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dod cutsArmy Maj. Gen. Lynn A. Collyar, former director of Defense Logistics Agency’s logistics operations, is not scared of sequestration and he doesn’t want you to be either.

“Our budget still has almost $500 billion,” he recently told an audience of anxious Defense vendors. “We can’t afford to just throw money around…,” but “there is still a lot of money out there.”

One person who doesn’t need convincing is Rob Culver, Director of Program Management for AMREL.  After serving in 23 years in the Army with half his career spent in Special Operations (18A), Rob also spent 8 years managing Defense acquisition programs, covering the complete product life-cycle.  Having experienced procurement as an acquisition officer, a Defense vendor, and as a grunt in the field, he has a uniquely well-informed point-of-view about the Defense budget.

“General Collyar is absolutely right,” he said. “Vendors are scared, because they don’t understand the acquisition process.  The ones who learn how to work the system will be the ones who survive and prosper.”

Read the rest of this here

 

 

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Why the future may not be a big deal in 2013 & how it will affect defense spending

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Future of Defense SpendingThis is the third in a series of articles, which predict what will not happen in 2013. This article focuses on why the future may not occur this year, and how it will affect Defense spending.

I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Mayan

Just to be clear, when I say 2013 will not be the year that the future finally arrives, I am not predicting some kind of apocalypse.  In this context, I am talking about attributes we commonly associate with the future, such as innovation, progress, and improvements in technology as well as the standard of living.

 In some ways this assertion is strongly counter-intuitive. After all, you may be reading this article on a handheld electronic device that received it at the speed of light over a wireless data system.  Besides, didn’t you see that net-enabled fork at the Consumer Electronic Show?  How can we say the future isn’t happening?

Nevertheless, there are a surprisingly large number of experts who are questioning our traditional assumptions of progress.

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RSJPO Roadmap & ICAF Robotics Report

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RSJPO Roadmap and ICAF Robotics Report

The last two blog postings were about what will not happen in 2012.  We thought we would take a break from this series and predict what you can expect.   Without a doubt, you can expect more reports, visions, and roadmaps from the Department of Defense.   Here are two recent DoD documents that are worth a look.

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Why NFC phone payment may not be a big deal in 2013

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This is the second in a series of articles, which predict what will not happen in 2013.  One of the most touted recent trends is “contactless payment” with Near Field Communication (NFC).  Despite what some enthusiasts say, I don’t think people will be throwing away their wallets and credit cards this year for a NFC phone.

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Why cloud computing may not be big deal in 2013

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cloud computing

The beginning of the New Year often marks an avalanche of stories enthusing about the “next big thing.” Usually, a glorious, completely transformed future is predicted due to the disruptive qualities of a new technology.

This article will be the first of a series in which I’ll try to let the steam out of a few commonly hyped trends.  To be clear, each of these technical innovations represents genuine change in the way we approach mobile computing.  I just think there are going to be bumps in the road.

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Second Thoughts about Smartphones

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Smartphone vs. Tablet vs. PDA
For many IT managers and other personnel responsible for enterprise procurement, smartphones were a cheap, popular way of dipping their toes into the pool of mobile technology.   However, it’s becoming obvious that smartphones are not appropriate for many enterprise applications.  So why second thoughts?

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Unmanned Systems Markets: What people are saying

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Unmanned Systems MarketsLike many of you, I receive numerous ads for market research studies. In order to excite our interest, they often contain a few snippets of facts. I decided to combine all these“snippets” with the goal of forming a coherent vision of the future of unmanned systems markets.

You can’t get there from here

In addition to examining market research reports, I contacted a few thought leaders within the profession. I also posted questions about unmanned markets in the social networks of LinkedIn and Quora. Read more

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How do I maximize battery life for my mobile computer?

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Supposedly, a high number of people call a repair man to fix their television, when all they really need to do is plug it in. Similarly, most actions for maximizing the life of a battery for a mobile computer may be characterized as excessively obvious. Here is a list to help you “remember the obvious.”

1) Avoid unnecessary applications. Especially those that constantly run in the background. One expert suggested going as far as to uninstall them. We all know this instinctually, but how often do you actually check this? Even if you think you there is nothing unnecessary on your computer, take time out every once in a while and examine exactly what applications are running. Read more

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GPS and UGVs: Part II

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In Part One of our series on GPS, we discussed its uses, problems, and alternatives. In Part Two, we take a look at the role of GPS in Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV).

Inertial Navigation System

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and ground vehicles often use a combination of GPS and Inertial Navigation System (INS). INS depends on input from motion sensors (accelerometers) and rotation sensors (gyroscopes). Through a process known as “dead reckoning,” the vehicle’s current position is calculated utilizing time passed from previous locations and estimates of speed.
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