Point and go navigation system and method

1. A method of providing point and go navigation for remote control of an unmanned robotic vehicle, comprising:

obtaining sensor information describing an environment in which the unmanned robotic vehicle is operating;

communicating the sensor information to a remotely located operator console;

displaying a visual representation of the environment on the operator console based on the sensor information;

designating a target point within the visual representation based on operator input;

designating a transition point within the visual representation based on operator input;

advancing the unmanned robotic vehicle toward a target location in the environment based on an automatic navigation response to the designated target point, which includes automatically determining a planned route from a current unmanned robotic vehicle position to the target location; and

advancing the unmanned robotic vehicle to the transition point, wherein the robotic vehicle is caused to reconfigure from a first pose corresponding to a first mode of operation to a second pose corresponding to a second mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target location is defined as an operator-defined displacement from a point in the environment corresponding to the target point.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

updating the visual representation of the environment on the operator console as the unmanned robotic vehicle moves through the environment; and

re-designating the target point within the updated visual representation based on additional operator input.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a visual representation of the planned route on the operator console.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying the planned route based on operator input.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a target path within the visual representation based on the operator input; and

automatically navigating the unmanned robotic vehicle to follow a travel path in the environment correlated with the target path.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein designating the target point comprises touching the operator console at the target point on the visual representation of the environment.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein designating the target point comprises placing an electronic cursor at the target point on the visual representation of the environment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the target point is defined by entering coordinates into the operator console.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising augmenting the visual representation of the environment using additional environmental information obtained independently of the unmanned robotic vehicle.

11. The method claim 10 , wherein the additional environmental information is obtained from an electronic map.

12. The method claim 10 , wherein the additional environmental information is obtained from a second environmental sensor.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second environmental sensor is mounted on a second unmanned robotic vehicle.

14. The method claim 10 , wherein the additional environmental information is obtained from a GPS receiver.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying a characteristic of the environment from the sensor information; and

modifying unmanned robotic vehicle behavior based on the characteristic.

16. A system for providing point and go navigation of an unmanned robotic vehicle, the system comprising:

a) an unmanned robotic vehicle having an environmental sensor and a transmitter and receiver unit, and being capable of controlled movement within an environment; and

b) a remote operator console in bi-directional communication with the unmanned robotic vehicle, the remote operator console comprising:

i) a receiver for receiving sensor information from the unmanned robotic vehicle;

ii) a display for displaying a visual representation of the environment based on the sensor information received from the environmental sensor;

iii) an operator input function for defining at least one of a target point and a transition point on the visual representation, and

iv) a transmitter for transmitting navigational commands to the unmanned robotic vehicle based on the target point,

wherein the vehicle automatically determines a planned route from a current unmanned robotic vehicle position to a target location in the environment based at least in part on the target point, and

wherein the vehicle, upon reaching the transition point, reconfigures from a first pose corresponding to a first mode of operation to a second pose corresponding to a second mode of operation.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the navigational commands comprise target point coordinates.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the target point coordinates are defined relative to the visual representation.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the navigational commands comprise a series of movement commands.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the environmental sensor is chosen from the group consisting of a camera, a stereo camera, a sound sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, a chemical sensor, a radar, a lidar, a range finder, a scanning range finder, a sonar, a contact sensor, a sniff sensor, a GPS receiver, an inertial measurement unit, an orientation sensor, and combinations thereof.

21. The system of claim 16 , wherein the display and operator input are provided by a touch screen.

22. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a communication link between the unmanned robotic vehicle and the remote operator console.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the communication link is selected from the group consisting of a wireless radio frequency link, a free space optical link, a free space ultrasonic link, a wired link, a fiber optic link, and combinations thereof.

24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the communication link further comprises at least one relay node.