Acoustic Detection, Ranging and Improved Situational Awareness System

SARA’s Passive Acoustic Non-cooperative Collision Avoidance (PANCAS) system is a novel, UAS-borne acoustic sensor that detects collision threat aircraft in support of an overall Detect, Alert and Avoid (DAA) function. PANCAS demonstrates high probability of aircraft detection over a 360o field-of-regard in a remarkably light and low-power system. In Phase I we designed a PANCAS prototype integration for the HQ-90 UAS that NASA will use in its Resilient Autonomy program. This system is designed for rural, low and medium risk air spaces, such as are found in un-populated environments. Acoustic sensing for aviation is a largely untapped capability, offering even greater future capability for autonomous UAS. In Phase II SARA will leverage NASA data collected in Resilient Autonomy to develop detection capabilities that will be critical for NASA’s vision for urban air mobility (UAM). We will leverage the PANCAS integration from Resilient Autonomy to integrate these advanced capabilities and flight test them in a simulated urban environment. More »