Metis is developing autonomous environment mapping and modeling using online data collaboration between IVA robots, both free flyer and humanoid robots, that contribute new data to a central server for data fusion.
Under the NASA SBIR program, Metis recently received Phase 1 funding to develop a solution to fuse data and then share it with the other IVA robots via the same central server. This allows IVA robots to manage independently and as part of a team, eliminates the need for ground station coordination, and allows for scalability to various types of spacecraft and habitats. This approach can accelerate the capabilities of robots working collaboratively to monitor and maintain a spacecraft or habitat such as Gateway.
Metis applies autonomy to pilot training and autonomous transportation systems through our patented IIPS software architecture.
Metis received Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 funding to develop the Intelligent Information Processing System (IIPS) which applies intelligent rules to exploit multiple data sources and provide best course of action recommendations. The software architecture is designed to analyze combined data for safety and situational relevance and apply priorities with an immediacy that can be quickly and intuitively processed by a flight crew. In the near term, IIPS will be used in flight simulators and pilot training. With further development, it also has a role in aerospace safety applications, and in support of autonomous vehicle operation.
In flight training, or real-world aerospace applications, when a situation becomes increasingly critical, IIPS prioritizes, filters, and presents information in a form that permits rapid assessment and action. If the expected action is not taken, information processing is continuously updated and modified until the situation is resolved. Prototype implementations of IIPS have been tested at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Kraken flight simulator and at the NASA VISTAS Lab at NASA Langley Research Center. At the VISTAS Lab, it was integrated with aircraft instrument simulations and included data from eye movement tracking in a virtual cockpit.