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Swarms of robots scouring enemy terrain ahead of ground troops
outfitted in high-tech exoskeleton suits are among the many ideas
proposed in the Army's new strategy on robotic and autonomous
systems.
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The battlefield of the future
(larger
version of image) is closer than some may think. By 2025, the Army sees ground troops conducting foot patrols in urban terrain with robots, called Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport vehicles, that carry rucksacks and other equipment alongside Soldiers. Overhead, unmanned aircraft will also serve as spotters to warn troops so they can engage the enemy on their own terms, according to the the Army's new strategy on robotic and autonomous systems. (U.S. Army
courtesy image - March 2017)
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In the not too distant future, Army leaders believe, war
will be far more complex, calling upon Soldiers to engage
enemies in multiple domains simultaneously. The 30-page
strategy, which was released Wednesday, outlines five
objectives to guide the technology that will ensure those
Soldiers can survive and succeed in such an environment.
Whether the emerging technologies in question are
operated by humans or entirely autonomous, the strategy's
purpose is to consider how they will translate into
real-world capabilities like increasing a Soldier's
situational awareness, lightening physical and cognitive
workloads, sustaining forces, facilitating movement and
protecting Soldiers.
"As we look at our
increasingly complex world, there's no doubt that robotics,
autonomous systems and artificial intelligence will play a
role," said Lt. Gen. Kevin Mangum, the deputy commander for
Army Training and Doctrine Command. "We in the Army, and
particularly at [TRADOC], need to get our arms around what's
in the realm of the possible."
Speaking at TRADOC's
Mad Scientist conference on robotics, artificial
intelligence and autonomy, Mangum said Tuesday he hoped to
learn more from industry partners and those in the
scientific community about how the Army might fight in the
future.
With the increasing sophistication of cyber
and unmanned systems along with the expectation that
fighting in the future will occur more often in densely
populated urban areas, the Army has been refining its
multi-domain battle concept after officially rolling it out
in October.
"We feel that we're going to be contested
in every domain," Mangum said at the conference, which is
intended to spark dialogue on technology innovation between
the military, academia and industry. "That's why this
session is so timely to talk about what the challenges and,
more importantly, what the opportunities are for us to be
able to operate in that space."
The battlefield of
the future is closer than some may think. According to the
strategy, the Army envisions that, by 2025, ground troops
will conduct foot patrols in with robots called "squad
multipurpose equipment transport vehicles" that carry
rucksacks and other equipment. Overhead, unmanned aircraft
will serve as spotters to warn troops of nearby enemy
forces.
In the coming years, with commercial
research and investments in science and technology, the Army
may see even more science-fiction-type technology, with the
strategy predicting autonomous systems being fully
integrated into the force by 2040.
Another idea the
Army is considering is a "warrior suit" that Soldiers can
wear in combat, an exoskeleton equipped with computerized
technology that can provide intelligence updates as well as
integrate indirect and direct-fire weapons systems.
Small robots could also be used for reconnaissance to
increase situational awareness, while unmanned aerial
systems deliver cargo to improve sustainment and reduce the
reliance on manned rotary-wing support, the strategy notes.
But the Army will also need to invest in robust
communications and network systems that allow autonomous
systems to talk to each other.
"This is not just
about robots, it's about a lot of other things," said
Augustus Fountain, deputy chief scientist for the Office of
the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army. "We need to
think about autonomy as a much more holistic view and
fashion."
Coding and new algorithms also lack
funding, and although they may not be "very sexy" they are
still required to make robots move. "You can have the
slickest platform in the world, but if you don't have the
right algorithms, it's not going to work," Fountain said,
speaking at the Mad Scientist event.
The two-day
conference, he added, should help Army scientists gain more
insight from other experts on the potential impacts and
capabilities of new technology.
"Scientists are great
at developing technology, but sometimes we need the
assistance of a larger community to understand what those
second and third order impacts are," he said. "We need your
help in envisioning the role of robotics and artificial
intelligence in the future."
A major component of
incorporating the new technology will be software, said
Robert Sadowski, a chief roboticist at the Army's Tank
Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or
TARDEC.
"What I really want to be able to do is
build the app store for robots and autonomous systems," he
said.
Such an app store, he noted, could deliver
software updates into the hands of Soldiers much quicker.
The store would be based on the Robotic Operating System, a
collection of software frameworks for robot software
development.
No matter how much technology evolves,
there will always be room for Soldiers, he said.
Leader-follower vehicles that the Army is currently testing
to conduct autonomous convoys, for example, would still need
troops to keep them out of enemy hands.
"We're not
going to do these things totally autonomously," Sadowski
said. "We're always going to have Soldiers involved in the
process. You don't put treasure on the road without some
sort of security."
Humans would also remain in charge
of any lethality decision behind other autonomous systems
operating in combat. "We're not going to have unmanned
Terminator robots roaming around on the battlefield," he
said.
By U.S. Army Sean Kimmons
Army News Service
Copyright 2017
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