AI Navigation for Unmanned Vessels in GPS-Denied Environments

Photo By: Ronnie Newsome, NSWC Panama City Division

Reliable and Accurate AI Navigation in Naval GPS-Denied Environments

Losing GPS signals in maritime operations creates significant challenges for unmanned surface vessels (USVs). In such environments, reliable navigation is critical. Deca Defense AI Dead Reckoning AI model addresses this challenge by using advanced algorithms and sensor data to ensure that USVs stay on course, even when GPS is unavailable. This system delivers accurate navigation and supports mission success in GPS-denied conditions.

In naval defense, losing GPS signals can pose severe risks for unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The open seas offer few to no landmarks for vision-based navigation systems. The critical question arises: how do we navigate when all we see is blue, and our position is uncertain? Deca has the solution. Our AI Dead Reckoning technology ensures your USVs stay on course, regardless of the challenges. This cutting-edge system leverages advanced deep learning algorithms to deliver pinpoint navigation accuracy even when GPS is compromised, ensuring operational integrity and mission success.

Why AI Dead Reckoning?

AI Dead Reckoning represents a leap forward in autonomous navigation for USVs, designed specifically to address the unique challenges of GPS-denied environments. By processing data from multiple sensors, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, our system provides a resilient and reliable solution for navigating in the most challenging conditions.

Key Technical Features AI Dead Reckoning:

1. Advanced Algorithms and Real-Time Adaptation: AI Dead Reckoning employs sophisticated algorithms that integrate data from various sensors to maintain precise navigation. These algorithms are capable of real-time adaptation, ensuring the USV can respond dynamically to changing environmental conditions and potential threats. The AI module processes this data to provide rich features for the navigation controller, ensuring seamless integration with existing USV systems. This real-time processing capability allows the system to continuously update its navigational path, ensuring accuracy and reliability, even in GPS-denied conditions.

2. Deep Learning for Precision Navigation: Our deep learning models are trained on extensive datasets, encompassing a wide range of navigation scenarios and environmental conditions. This training enables the system to learn and recognize subtle variations in sensor data, enhancing its ability to maintain accurate tracking even in the absence of GPS signals. By leveraging neural networks, AI Dead Reckoning can predict and compensate for drift and other navigational errors, providing a robust and resilient solution for autonomous navigation for USVs.

3. Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Integration: The system integrates data from the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which includes accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. This integration allows AI Dead Reckoning to function similarly to a human inner ear, constantly monitoring and adjusting based on IMU input. This ensures that the USVs remain steady and on course, much like our sense of balance keeps us upright even in the dark. The IMU data provides continuous updates on the USV's orientation and velocity, enabling precise navigational adjustments in real-time, even in GPS-denied environments.

4. Sensor Fusion and Data Integration: AI Dead Reckoning utilizes sensor fusion techniques to combine data from multiple sources, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the navigation system. This includes integrating data from sonar, radar, and other onboard sensors to create a comprehensive situational awareness picture. By combining these data streams, the system can more accurately determine the USV's position and trajectory, even in environments where individual sensors may be compromised or less effective.

5. AI-Enabled Drift Compensation: GPS is widely used in navigation systems primarily because the Kalman filter, the algorithm commonly employed to track the current system state, is susceptible to drift. This drift occurs as the algorithm continuously assesses and adjusts the trust levels of various sensor inputs. AI Dead Reckoning addresses this issue by mitigating the drift caused by sensor noise. Our system leverages advanced AI techniques to "refine" the IMU signals, ensuring accurate and reliable navigation even in the absence of GPS. This AI-driven drift compensation maintains precise tracking and enhances the overall performance of the autonomous navigation for USVs.

1. Optimized Resource Utilization: AI Dead Reckoning enhances system performance by eliminating the need for cameras or lidar sensors, thereby freeing up computational resources for other critical tasks such as collision avoidance and object detection. The primary challenge lies in the variability of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). However, our model is designed to generalize across different sensors, ensuring compatibility whether the IMU costs $0.22 or $4,000.

   
   

AI Dead Reckoning operates on the principle of trusting the equipment, a concept familiar to our warfighters. When GPS signals are lost, traditional navigation methods, like shooting an azimuth and counting steps, are impractical at sea. Instead, an IMU can infer movement, allowing AI Dead Reckoning to continuously and accurately track position without additional sensors. This streamlined approach means more computational power can be allocated to mission-critical tasks, adhering to the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Real-World Applications for Navy USVs

AI Dead Reckoning enables efficient coordination among USVs in a swarm, ensuring optimal performance in surveillance and defense operations, particularly in GPS-denied environments. Each USV in the swarm can autonomously determine its position using data from integrated sensors, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. This self-reliant navigation allows the swarm to maintain formation and execute complex maneuvers without relying on external GPS signals.

The advanced algorithms of AI Dead Reckoning allow each USV to adapt its navigation path in real-time, responding dynamically to changes in environmental conditions or potential threats. This ensures that the swarm remains cohesive and effective, with each vessel precisely aware of its location relative to others. By maintaining accurate positional awareness, USVs can avoid collisions with each other and with other objects, which is particularly important in dense or cluttered environments where GPS signals are unreliable or unavailable.

SWCC Operations for SEAL Team Delivery and Extraction

AI Dead Reckoning is a crucial asset for SWCC teams conducting SEAL team delivery and extraction missions, offering precise navigation in GPS-denied environments. Here's how AI Dead Reckoning enhances mission success:

• Autonomous Navigation to Insertion Points: By leveraging sensor fusion from accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, AI Dead Reckoning ensures that SWCC craft maintain exact positioning throughout the mission, guiding vessels to designated insertion points with precision.

• Covert Operations Without GPS Signals: The absence of GPS reliance allows SWCC craft to operate stealthily, avoiding detectable signals during mission-critical moments such as SEAL team insertion in hostile or sensitive zones.

• Real-Time Path Updates During Extraction: AI Dead Reckoning continuously updates navigation based on real-time sensor inputs, enabling the craft to navigate accurately to extraction points despite environmental obstacles like currents or obstructions. This real-time adaptation ensures smooth, safe extraction operations.

• Enhanced Positional Awareness: The system maintains accurate positional awareness without GPS, allowing the SWCC craft to approach extraction points stealthily, reducing detection risks.

• Mission Coordination: AI Dead Reckoning enhances coordination between SWCC teams, USVs, and support vessels. By maintaining situational awareness through sensor fusion from sonar, radar, and other onboard systems, AI Dead Reckoning supports cohesive mission execution.

  
  

With AI Dead Reckoning, SWCC teams can confidently rely on precise navigation in the most challenging GPS-denied environments, ensuring mission success from insertion to extraction.

Ensure Mission Success with Deca’s GPS-Denied Navigation Solutions

Enhance your USVs with AI-powered Dead Reckoning for precise navigation in GPS-denied environments. Our solution integrates advanced sensor fusion—combining inertial measurements, odometry, and environmental data—with deep learning models to deliver accurate real-time positioning.

Designed for adaptability and robustness, this system ensures your USVs maintain operational efficiency without GPS dependency.

Contact us to explore how our advanced solution can enhance your autonomous operations.