Welcome to Skyborg, an Air Force Research Lab program aimed at pairing AI with a human in the cockpit so the machine can learn how to fly, according to Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics.
In the near future, an Air Force pilot’s wingman could be flown by artificial intelligence.
The two might fly side-by-side in a highly contested war zone — and the AI aircraft not only takes the lead, it begins making choices. Does it fire missiles or drop bombs ahead of its fighter counterpart? Probably, because the human response has a lag time, unlike a machine that can detect and react immediately, if necessary.
It sounds very much like the Air Force’s proposed Loyal Wingman program. But the service wants to take the concept even further, with an AI plane that trains with its pilot, acting as a sidekick. In short, it’s R2-D2 from “Star Wars” in an aircraft of its very own. The Air Force foresees training generations of AIs and pilots together.
www.military.com/dodbuzz/2019/03/14/r2-d2-cockpit-air-force-testing-skyborg-ai-program.html
15 Mar 2019
Military.com
The U.S. Army recently awarded QinetiQ North America a contract worth up to $152 million for special robots that are light enough to be carried in a backpack into combat.
The Common Robotic System Individual, or CRS (I), is the Army’s first “small-sized” robotic program of record, according to a recent press release from the service’s Maneuver Capability Development Integration Directorate at Fort Benning, Georgia.
“CRS (I) is a remotely operated, highly mobile, unmanned ground vehicle that is light enough for a dismounted soldier to carry in a backpack,” the release states.
These new robots, which the Army plans to begin fielding in fiscal 2020, “will provide the dismounted soldier with enhanced situational awareness, force protection and increased standoff capability from enemy threats,” the release adds.
www.military.com/kitup/2019/03/15/backpack-sized-robots-their-way-army-units.html
The Navy Just Ordered the ‘Orca,’ an Extra-Large Unmanned Submarine by Boeing
The Orca unmanned autonomous submersible will be capable of crossing entire oceans and fulfilling a variety of missions, from hunting mines to sinking submarines.
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By Kyle Mizokami
Feb 14, 2019
www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a26344025/navy-extra-large-unmanned-submarines-boeing/
Stan the Adorable Robot Could Be the Future of Parking Lots
Stanley Robotics is starting in French airport parking lot. Who knows where it will be next?
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By David Grossman
Mar 15, 2019
stanley robots
Fred Margueron/Stanley Robots
A number cars offer some kind of self-parking feature these days, but that tech as it currently stands amounts to little more than a parlor trick. A French startup called Stanley Robotics, however, has a new take on the idea: a little robot tug that tows your car around a lot and decides where to park it.
The autonomous electric-powered bot is named Stan. The company says that in a standard parking lot, a Stan could create 50 percent more parking spaces by placing cars more efficiently. While the company’s website does not offer any specs, its clear these robots will be big boys, capable of pulling a car up to 20 feet in length and handling a 3-ton load.
www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a26828183/robot-park-your-car/
h/t Digital mix guy