ST. CHARLES, Mo., June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:
BA] today opened a new research laboratory to test hardware and
software that will make a new generation of autonomous air, sea and
land vehicles work together more effectively as a team or unit.
The lab will serve as the company's leading location for
collaborative autonomous technology development with academic
institutions and research partners, including government agencies
and other companies.
Boeing leaders were joined by St.
Charles Mayor Sally Faith,
St. Charles County Executive Steve
Ehlmann and employees for a ribbon-cutting and
demonstrations of the lab capabilities.
"Collaborative technology is at the forefront of innovation for
taking advanced vehicles that already carry out dull, dirty or
dangerous work, such as assisting in search and rescue,
firefighting and military missions, and making them even more
effective," said Nancy Pendleton,
leader of the Boeing Research & Technology Missouri research
center. "This lab provides us an outstanding environment to
experiment and innovate with a variety of autonomous vehicles and
the systems and sensors that drive them, from small unmanned aerial
vehicles to unmanned undersea vehicles."
The 8,100-square-foot (753 square-meters) Collaborative
Autonomous Systems Laboratory is dedicated to the development,
maturation and validation of autonomous and multi-vehicle
collaboration technologies.
The cornerstone of the lab is an 80,000-cubic-foot motion
capture system that allows the facility to simultaneously operate
multiple unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles.
The indoor flying test range contains a high-resolution blended
projection system for the development and testing of vision-based
technologies, such as image processing algorithms or detection of
moving objects in scenery. The projection system can work in
concert with the motion capture system and high-fidelity
simulations to support live-virtual testing in realistic simulated
scenarios. The facility also includes an enclosed, vented area that
enables an around-the-clock reliable test environment and access to
Global Positioning System and other signals used for ground testing
and static engine runs of small UAVs.
"Autonomy is revolutionizing our world and this lab will be an
important part of our mission to deliver solutions across air, land
and sea for global customers," said Kory
Mathews, vice president of Autonomous Systems, a division of
Boeing Military Aircraft also headquartered in St.
Louis.
The CASL is part of the Boeing Research &
Technology-Missouri (BR&T-Missouri) research center. Other
BR&T-Missouri research labs and capabilities include the
Non-Destructive Test Lab, the Human Systems Integration Center and
a Polymer Synthesis Lab. More than 700 engineers, technicians and
staff at BR&T-Missouri develop a variety of technologies that
involve systems, digital aviation and support, rate-independent
production and next-generation materials.
BR&T is the company's advanced research and development
organization, providing technologies that enable the development of
future aerospace solutions while improving the cycle time, cost,
quality and performance of existing Boeing products and services.
BR&T has 11 research centers around the world in Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Russia
and the United States, including
Alabama, California, Missouri, South
Carolina and Washington.
Contact:
Jennifer Hawton
Boeing Communications
Office: +1 425-234-9136
jennifer.d.hawton@boeing.com
Follow us on Twitter @Boeing
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SOURCE Boeing