During the National Robotics Week on April 5th, the US Army revealed its AI military robot soldiers capable of natural language communication and autonomous off-road navigation, adding another layer to human machine integration through its AI for maneuver and Mobility (AIMM) program.
It’s all centered at the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL), where these robots now execute complex verbal orders, assess damage, and traverse dense foliage at operational speeds using generative AI.
“We are bridging the human-robot gap, making the robots more intuitive, responsive and, ultimately, more useful for the Soldier,” said Phil Osteen, who is a principal researcher with the AIMM team.
The benefit?
US military robot soldiers that can assess damage, report back instantly, and perform complex verbal orders all without the need for human micromanagement. The robots are being trained to go off-road, navigate through thick underbrush, and learn rapidly, even under duress.
“We’ve made tremendous progress in off-road mobility. We can now autonomously drive through thick foliage at operational speeds,” said AIMM program manager, Udam Silva.
Teaming with organizations such as Overland AI, the Army is hardening hardware and autonomous military systems software for real-time world deployment, with prototypes showing 90% accuracy in obstacle negotiation during 2024 drills.
Smarter Teamwork, Better Missions
Aside from mobility, the Army is also diving deeper into what it calls human-machine teaming. Another high-priority program, the Human Autonomy Teaming (HAT) program, is allowing soldiers to better work together with autonomous systems. The program’s tool kit enables troops to plan, execute, and debrief missions using real-time performance data from their robot teammates.
“Soldiers will have the power to change robots’ behaviors using such methods as human-in-the-loop machine learning,” highlighted Dr. Brandon Perelman, program manager for HAT.
So that if a robot makes a mistake or deviates from course, soldiers can see it and right it immediately. The software will also be adjustable so plans of action will be able to transfer between multiple autonomous systems, whether they are ground-based or aerial.
The HAT program even combines data streams from video feeds to position and navigation data to give soldiers a clearer picture of what’s happening in complex combat scenarios.
As technology continues to evolve, the programs of future military robot soldiers show how AI and robots can do more than aid soldiers they can be reliable partners.
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