The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is the U.S. Navy's premier technology laboratory for original research and development. Commissioned in 1928, the NRL conducts a broad-based, multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technology development. Personnel from ITT Advanced Engineering and Sciences (AES) have been a key part of this rich history of technological development at the NRL for almost three decades.

With over 150 AES technical support staff providing professional engineering services ranging from research and development through prototyping, AES serves the NRL in a variety of areas relating to information technology and information warfare. Explaining the role of AES at the NRL, Mike Wilson, Vice President and Director of the Information Dominance Business Unit at AES, notes that, "We work side by side with the NRL as a team partner, both in very fundamental work on the leading edge of research as well as design and prototyping work that often gets applied to acquisition programs."

Augmented reality, virtual reality, computer and network assurance, moving gigabits of visual data around networks…these are a sampling of the projects AES is working on at the NRL in support of overall information technology initiatives.

Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Imagine you are leading a platoon of infantrymen in enemy territory. The terrain is making communication difficult and in the fading light, you think you detect movement in the distance. Are they friendly or enemy troops? What should be your course of action?

In the near future, thanks to engineering work from AES, you'll be able to pull a tiny unmanned aerial vehicle from a backpack. After launching the UAV you'll be able to look at a monitor to receive a live broadcast to determine your tactical situation. The development at the NRL of the man-portable Dragon Warrior and Dragon Eye UAVs represent key research, design, and prototyping work provided to the NRL by AES. These small, re-usable, man-packable, UAV will be used for "over-the-hill" reconnaissance and will provide near-real time, day/night imaging for small units of combat troops.

In parallel to this work on advanced UAVs, AES is also assisting the NRL in the development of another unmanned vehicle for use in a very hostile environment as well as an experimental glider for use in future exploratory Mars missions.

Engineering Support for Information Technologies

Another example of research and prototyping work provided to the NRL by AES is the Battlefield Augmented Reality System (BARS). With a look-through set of goggles, BARS allows the user to superimpose additional layers of reality and data from external databases.

AES has developed a fully functional prototype of a multi-user, distributed, wearable computer infrastructure for warfighters operating in the urban environment. By using a see-through, head-worn display and outdoor tracking technology, vital strategic information is overlaid on each user's view of the world. For instance, as a warfighter looks at a building through BARS, he may want to see an overlay of the electrical systems for that building.

They would receive this information from military planners who might be hundreds or thousands of miles from the area of conflict to construct a tactical picture of the environment and the objects that populate it.

Virtual Reality

Supporting the development of BARS as well as other applications of virtual reality (VR) at NRL is the VR GROTTO (Graphical Room for Observation, Tactical Training and Orientation). GROTTO is a cave-like system that provides an immersive virtual environment.

Supported by AES personnel in algorithm development and design as well as demonstrations, the technology in the VR GROTTO allows the user to view this virtual surroundings as he would in a real-world environment. Besides being a useful system for battlefield visualization, the GROTTO is well suited for training and tactical planning. Given a specific battle situation, a commander can explore and visualize diverse strategies before issuing mobilization orders.

Internet-Based High Definition Television

Moving high-resolution visual information through the internet is a challenge for the military today. Working with the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS) at NRL, AES is conducting research in high speed computing to prove out very high speed optical networking and mass storage technologies for future, high definition television applications.

As described by John Urban, Department Manager of the Information Technology Department at AES, "We've gone from Ethernet speeds to ATM speeds to gigabit speeds to terabytes of storage, all to demonstrate how large amounts of visual data can be stored and processed over a network." The current focus of AES research is in testing an experimental platform that moves high definition motion imagery over the internet. The practical applications of this imagery will extend to many military and intelligence missions where the visual assessment of a tactical situation by people far removed from the scene is important.

Artificial Intelligence

Through algorithm development, prototyping and demonstrations, AES is assisting the NRL in efforts designed to address the application of artificial intelligence technology and techniques to critical Navy and national programs. AES is working with the Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI) in research directed toward understanding the design and operation of computer systems capable of improved performance based on experience. These research efforts apply to areas of artificial intelligence such as robotics, speech interfaces, and man-machine interfaces.

High Assurance Computing

Because the battlefields of today and into the future will include the realm of cyberspace, computer and network security is of great concern. For over a decade, AES has been providing the NRL's Center for High Assurance Computing Systems with engineering and analytic services to support the development of innovative offensive and defensive information warfare capabilities.

As explained by Wilson, "We are looking at the next generation of internet security tools with the ability to engage in "defense in depth" on a network, not just at the firewall stage. We are dealing with issues such as network authentication, denial of service, and identity and data security."

The focus areas for these research activities include security measures for cryptographic protocols, trusted computer systems, trusted networked systems, and secure digital voice systems.

A Trusted Partner of the NRL

In describing the valuable partnership spirit of work at the NRL, Urban notes that, "The AES people working here at the NRL are highly talented, creative and able to think outside the box. We've been here for about 30 years.

We are a trusted partner and understand the entrepreneurial spirit that pervades the research and development process at NRL."

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