Exterior view of the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research
The US military has built a 50,000 square foot Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Reeasrch (LASR) in Washington, D.C. at the Naval Research Laboratory. It will be used to observe and enhance human interactions and real world deployment scenarios for air and ground autonomous robots. The lab will use motion capture video systems to track up to 50 objects for gathering high-accuracy data, and also eye trackers to gauge interaction between human subjects and the robots. It will also sport an audio system for projecting directional sound into the environment to add to the realism of the artificial environment.
The Tropical High Bay, part of the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research, is a 60' by 40' greenhouse that contains a re-creation of a southeast Asian rain forest. In the Tropical High Bay, temperatures average 80 degrees with 80 percent humidity year round. (Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)
The Littoral High Bay, part of the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research, features a 45' x 25' x 5.5' deep pool. This pool will have a 16-channel wave generator, allowing researchers to create directional waves (Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)
