AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS

Mission-Layer Integration

Integration APIs for UAS, UGV, and USV platforms. Structured inference outputs connect to mission planning stacks, operator displays, and GCS interfaces — with human override always architecturally present.

3

Platform domains

ROS 2

Primary middleware

HOTL

Human-on-the-loop

MAVROS

Flight stack bridge

PLATFORM COMPATIBILITY

UAS / UGV / USV integration depth.

Air Domain

UAS

Flight stack PX4 / ArduPilot
Bridge protocol MAVROS / MAVLink v2
Mission topics sensor_msgs, nav_msgs
Payload interface UAVCAN / USB3

Ground Domain

UGV

Nav stack Nav2 / move_base
Controller ROS 2 / CAN bus
Mission topics geometry_msgs, tf2
Payload interface PCIe / USB3 / Ethernet

Maritime Domain

USV

Nav stack Marine Nav2 profile
Comms NMEA 0183 / NMEA 2000 / UDP
Mission topics geographic_msgs
Payload interface GigE / RS-422

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Human-on-the-Loop.

Every Kestrelsense integration includes a human supervisory layer. We distinguish between autonomous operation (the system acts within pre-authorized parameters) and human authority (the operator retains decision authority at defined intervention points). The system does not act; it informs and recommends. Override is always architecturally possible.

SUPERVISORY PATTERNS

Real-Time Alert

Detection events surfaced to operator display immediately. Human approves or dismisses within a configurable window before any autonomous action.

Threshold-Based Autonomy

Pre-authorized actions execute when confidence exceeds a human-configured threshold. Actions below threshold queue for operator review.

Post-Mission Audit

All inference decisions, confidence scores, and any autonomous actions are logged with microsecond timestamps for post-mission review and audit.

Hard Interrupt

Operator command channel always active. Any human input immediately halts autonomous action sequences — regardless of mission state.

ROS 2 ARCHITECTURE

Node graph: sensor to GCS output.

sensor_node /sensor_stream pub: sensor_msgs /sensor_stream inference_node Kestrelsense runtime pub: detection_msgs /detections decision_node HOTL supervisor pub: actions/alerts /mission_out gcs_node GCS bridge MAVLink / UDP operator_override

ENGAGE

Adding ISR sensing to an unmanned platform program?

Integration depth depends on your platform's middleware, flight or navigation stack, and GCS protocol. We support ROS 2, MAVROS/MAVLink v2, NMEA 0183, and direct GCS integrations. Kestrelsense does not replace your autopilot or mission planning stack — we feed it with structured sensor output. Platform-specific integration questions are best addressed in a technical briefing.

Request Technical Briefing