Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Solutions

Cutting-Edge GNC Solutions for Precision and Reliability

Draper’s advanced capabilities in GNC solutions, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), and precision instruments enable effective maneuvering, precise engagement, and reliable navigation in highly contested environments. Our expertise in autonomy, specialized solutions, and precision weaponry ensures mission success through innovative technologies and dedicated support for strategic partners.

Autonomy

Creating proliferated collaborative autonomous systems that increase force protection and reverse cost asymmetries.

Securing the U.S. Navy’s Maritime dominance through high-reliability onboard autonomy, proven for complex missions; faster-than-real-time, physics-based vehicle simulations; and robust mission planning while reducing system vulnerabilities, development risks, and costs of at-sea testing.

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Improving mission effectiveness, mitigating high risk operations, and rapidly adapting to end user needs through the application of edge autonomy on uncrewed systems.

Smoothing And Mapping with Inertial State Estimation (SAMWISE)

Draper's SAMWISE algorithm helps autonomous vehicles navigate accurately in GPS-denied areas by fusing data from inertial and aiding navigation sensors, estimating vehicle attitude, velocity, and position. It accumulates error more slowly than traditional systems due to an incremental smoother and measurement buffering approach, enabling low-latency outputs and agile obstacle-avoidance. SAMWISE is used in the CSIRP program for UAVs to detect CBRN hazards and has been integrated into various platforms, including legged robots and augmented reality systems. Future applications may include self-driving cars and landing vehicles on Mars or the Moon.

CBRN Sensor Integration on Robotic Platform (CSIRP)

Our engineers are advancing autonomous unmanned systems for CBRN Reconnaissance to enhance situational awareness in modern battlespaces. The CSIRP system can search small, cluttered spaces and detect CBRN hazards using teams of autonomous robots and drones equipped with multiple sensors. These robots can communicate with human operators and central command, making real-time decisions with sensor-driven algorithms to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This provides the warfighter with crucial situational awareness while maintaining a safe distance from danger. The CSIRP’s autonomy enables self-navigation, tight maneuvering, and obstacle avoidance using a novel algorithm that synthesizes data from onboard sensors like GPS, LiDAR, and cameras. It operates effectively even when some inputs are unavailable, such as in GPS-denied environments. Funded by the JPEO-CBRND, CSIRP is transitioning to a U.S. Army program of record and is supported by a $26 million DoD contract to enhance its capabilities for CBRN reconnaissance missions.

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Advanced Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT)

Enabling Anytime Anywhere Any-threat Navigation by advancing precision instruments and multi-sensor navigation and timing.

Critical enabling components such as inertial measurement units, precision timing, and quantum applications, facilitating high-fidelity and enduring PNT inputs.

Sub-projects of assured positioning, navigation and timing (APNT) include intelligent navigation manager (INM), celestial navigation (CELNAV), vision aided navigation (VAN), magnetic navigation (MAGNAV), and signals of opportunity (SoOP).

Specialized Solutions

Providing specialized technological solutions to enable precision engagement and effective and efficient operations at rapid pace.

Explore All Our Market Areas

Biotechnology Systems

From designing microphysiological systems to developing biothreat and pathogen detection solutions, and leading advancements in synthetic biology, we offer innovative and robust biotechnology solutions to address our nation's security needs.

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Strategic Systems

From our long track record of providing battlefield solutions to contributing to our nation’s defense and deterrence capabilities, learn why we're considered the national security experts.

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Space Systems

From advanced and autonomous guidance, navigation, and control to fault-tolerant computing and software design, we engineer solutions that enable space exploration.

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