Ground rules: Can UGVs meet future airport protection requirements?

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) — such as bomb-disposal robots that deal with improvised explosive devices — are in use with police forces and militaries around the world, and homeland security organisations and government agencies are investigating the potential of UGVs for critical infrastructure protection.

A semi-autonomous UGV was subject to a two-week evaluation at Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel, in April 2008. Following the trial, Nahum Liss, head of the planning, control and project department at the Israel Airports Authority's Security Division, said that UGVs "could be integrated effectively within the perimeter security system".

In terms of perimeter security, a common surveillance solution uses CCTV imagery. Traditionally this would involve security staff monitoring a bank of screens for visible threats, which brings human factors such as fatigue or information overload into play. An autonomous or semi-autonomous UGV enables automated procedures so that less reliance is placed on costly manned patrols. Moreover, UGVs could provide a response capability that stationary cameras and radars cannot.

For the trial, the IAA selected the Guardium UGV produced by G-NIUS Unmanned Ground Systems, a joint venture between Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. The vehicle can carry layered, modular applications, including a robotic automotive kit, an autonomous mission management and control system, sensors, communications and mission payloads. For airport perimeter security, says Erez Peled, chief executive officer of G-NIUS, "an observation camera and personnel detection radar would be the correct payloads". He adds that Guardium could also be used for other airside security functions, such as monitoring taxiways and runways between aircraft movements. "It could also check cargo storage areas and warehouses."

As a semi-autonomous UGV, Guardium moves according to a pre-programmed path or 'corridor' of movement. Location-specific information is put into the system database by a remote operator. "Based on this, the vehicle performs missions within these parameters," Peled tells Jane's. "You have to define these limits and pre-plan some responses - based on these limits, the vehicle behaves autonomously. An operator receives an automatic alert based on specific events."

In the US, Black-I Robotics has developed a hybrid-drive variant of its remote-controlled Landshark UGV. The hybrid Landshark is based on a tubular steel chassis and can operate on electricity or conventional fuel, enabling a "substantially longer run time than standard small or mid-sized UGVs", according to Robert Hughes, company vice-president. "It can run all night or as long as a full day without refuelling if needed."