Autonomy Levels for Unmanned Systems (ALFUS) FrameworkVolume II: Framework Models Initial Version

Abstract

This document describes the current Framework models of the overall Autonomy Levels for Unmanned Systems Framework, or ALFUS. ALFUS addresses the autonomy issues along the lifecycle of the unmanned system (UMS), particularly, the autonomy issues at the lifecycle stages of requirements specification, testing and evaluation, and performance measures. ALFUS also augments additional UMS major concerns including safety and risk. ALFUS contains a Metric Model that is composed of metrics along the three established axes or aspects. ALFUS is generic and applicable to multiple UMS domains. This document also discusses how ALFUS might be applied to selected domains that include military, homeland security, and manufacturing. Ongoing issues and future directions are also addressed.