Presents a miniature robotic system ("scout") useful for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. A large number of scout robots are deployed and controlled by humans and/or larger "ranger" robots. The specially designed and constructed scouts are extremely small (roughly 116cc volume) yet are readily deployable (by tossing or launching), have multiple mobility modes, have multiple sensing capabilities, can transmit and receive data and instructions, and have a limited capability for autonomous action. The rangers are significantly larger vehicles, based on a commercial-off-the-shelf platform, augmented with scout launchers, radios, and additional sensors. Together, the scouts and rangers form a hierarchical team capable of carrying out complex missions in a wide variety of environments.

In this paper we present an active video module that consists of a miniature video sensor, a wireless video transmitter and a pan-tilt mechanism driven by micromotors. The video module is part of a miniature mobile robot that is projected to areas of the environment to be surveyed. A single-chip CMOS video sensor and miniature brushless DC gearmotors are used to comply with restrictions imposed by the robotic system in terms of payload weight volume and power consumption. Different types of actuation are analyzed for compatibility with a mesoscale robotic system. Applications of an active video module are discussed.

We present an error model for dead-reckoning position estimating systems used in robotic research. This model is suitable for use in real time with general position estimating systems when the model is updated throughout the trajectory. A technique for updating the system error model when the position estimate correction information is non-uniform is also described. We have used this error model to screen noisy position corrections to a dead-reckoning navigator. An autonomous robot system using the error model and a compatible position updating technique has been demonstrated both in simulation and in several types of uncontrolled and unstructured environments.