Development of rapid runway repair (RRR) telerobotic construction equipment

The nature of the RRR mission requires that construction/repair equipment operators be placed in positions that could result in death or bodily harm to the operators. Additionally, the possibility of early loss of trained equipment operators leads to the problem of poor machine performance and consequent unacceptable increases in runway repair times. To overcome these problems the US Air Force is undertaking a research and development effort which involves the following technologies: teleoperation, telerobotics, secure communications, automated damage assessment, operator training simulator, vehicle navigation, vehicle/tool design, and preprogrammed operations. The ultimate goal is the fielding of a robotic repair capability operating at the level of supervised autonomy. The author discusses current and planned efforts in these areas