In an exciting announcement, David Martin, Neya Systems’ Principal Robotics Software Engineer, has been appointed as the chair of the SAE International’s AS-4 Steering Committee. In this pivotal role, Martin will supervise the creation of open-architecture standards as unmanned systems continue to evolve from teleoperation to autonomy.
Neya Systems, a prominent provider of off-road autonomy and mission planning software, has confirmed the appointment. The AS-4 Steering Committee’s main goal is to standardize unmanned system interoperability across military, civil, and commercial domains via the development of open systems and architecture. Additionally, the AS-4 Steering Committee supervises the activities of two other committees: the AS-4 Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) committee and the AS-4B task group, previously known as the AS-UCS (Unmanned Systems Control) committee.
As part of his responsibilities, Martin will manage the development of interfaces and standards as unmanned systems spanning air, ground, surface, and undersea domains transition from teleoperation to autonomy. He aims to strengthen and expand the relationship between AS-4 JAUS and the U.S. Army’s Interoperability Profile (IOP), as well as encourage increased in-person attendance at biannual meetings.
Martin expressed his enthusiasm for the new role saying, “I am eager to build upon the work established under previous leadership, especially as the state-of-the-art in unmanned systems transitions from teleoperation to increasingly autonomous behaviors in both structured and unstructured environments.” He further emphasized that as these systems become more complex, standardized and well-defined interfaces are essential to decreasing costs and enhancing software reuse across platforms.
Martin joined Neya Systems in 2011 and currently leads the company’s architecture and interoperability group. He also serves as the principal Robotic Technology Kernel (RTK) engineer. His association with JAUS standards dates back to 2007 when the group transitioned from an informal working group to a formal SAE committee. Before his appointment as the chair of AS-4, Martin held the positions of AS-4 vice chair and AS-4 JAUS vice chair.
In addition to his work with the AS-4 committee, Martin maintains the JAUS ToolSet, an open-source tool utilized by academia, government, and industry to generate JAUS-compliant code. His expertise in electronics and computers, coupled with his proficiency in coding and programming languages, has made him a document sponsor for multiple JAUS documents, including service sets on environmental sensing, autonomous behaviors, unmanned ground vehicles, and manipulation.
Kurt Bruck, Division Manager of Neya Systems, expressed his pride in Martin’s dedication to the AS-4 and JAUS communities. He said, “His appointment as chair of AS-4 is a testament to his technical expertise and leadership in his field. I am confident that under his guidance, AS-4 will continue to make significant strides in the development of standards for open architecture.”
Neya Systems, a division of Applied Research Associates, is committed to advancing the field of unmanned systems through the development and integration of cutting-edge technologies. Their expertise in autonomy, computer vision, cybersecurity, and general unmanned systems development and deployment has positioned them as leaders in the industry. Their team of experts is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that help their customers meet their mission goals. To learn more about Neya Systems, visit neyarobotics.com and follow them on LinkedIn.
