More autonomy for ground systems
The most famous class of systems with autonomous functionality currently deployed by the armed forces of some countries are active protection systems (SAZ) for armored vehicles, which are capable of independently destroying attacking anti-tank missiles, unguided missiles and shells. AES is usually a combination of radars or infrared sensors that detect attacking assets, with a fire control system that tracks, evaluates and classifies threats.
The whole process from the moment of detection to the moment of firing the projectile is completely automated, since human intervention can slow it down or make timely triggering completely impossible. The operator is not just physically unable to give the command to shoot the counter-projectile, he will not even be able to control individual phases of this process. However, the BACS are always programmed in advance so that users can predict the exact circumstances under which the system should react and under which it should not. The types of threats that will trigger the BACS response are known in advance, or at least predictable with a high degree of certainty.
Similar principles also govern the operation of other autonomous ground-based weapons systems, such as systems to intercept unguided missiles, artillery shells and mines used to protect military bases in war zones. Both the SAZ and the interception systems can thus be considered as autonomous systems that, once activated, do not require human intervention.
Challenge: autonomy for ground mobile robots
Today, ground-based mobile systems are usually used to detect explosives and neutralize them or reconnaissance of terrain or buildings. In both cases, robots are remotely controlled and monitored by operators (although some robots can perform simple tasks such as moving from point to point without constant human assistance). “The reason why human involvement remains very important is that ground-based mobile robots have enormous difficulty operating on their own in difficult and unpredictable terrain. Operate a car moving independently across the battlefield, where it must bypass obstacles, drive away with moving objects and be under enemy fire. much more difficult - due to unpredictability - than using autonomous weapons systems, such as the aforementioned SAZ,”said Marek Kalbarczyk of the European Defense Agency (EDA). Therefore, the autonomy of ground robots today is still limited to simple functions, for example, "follow me" and navigation to given coordinates. Follow me can be used by either unmanned vehicles to follow another vehicle or soldier, while waypoint navigation allows the vehicle to use coordinates (determined by the operator or memorized by the system) to reach the desired destination. In both cases, the unmanned vehicle uses GPS, radar, visual or electromagnetic signatures, or radio channels to follow the leader or a specific / memorized route.
Soldier's Choice
From an operational point of view, the purpose of using such stand-alone functions is generally to:
• reducing risks to soldiers in hazardous areas by replacing drivers with unmanned vehicles or unmanned driving kits with autonomous convoy tracking, or
• providing support for troops in remote areas.
Both functions generally rely on a so-called obstacle avoidance element to prevent collisions with obstacles. Due to the complex topography and shape of individual areas of the terrain (hills, valleys, rivers, trees, etc.), the point navigation system used in ground platforms must include a laser radar or lidar (LiDAR - Light Detection And Ranging) or be capable of using pre-loaded maps. However, since lidar relies on active sensors and is therefore easy to detect, the focus of research is now on passive imaging systems. Although preloaded maps are sufficient when unmanned vehicles are operating in well-known environments for which detailed maps are already available (for example, monitoring and protecting borders or critical infrastructure). However, every time ground robots have to enter a complex and unpredictable space, a lidar is essential for navigating intermediate points. The problem is that the lidar also has its limitations, that is, its reliability can only be guaranteed for unmanned vehicles operating in relatively simple terrain.
Therefore, further research and development is needed in this area. To this end, several prototypes have been developed to demonstrate technical solutions, such as the ADM-H or EuroSWARM, in order to explore, test and demonstrate more advanced features, including autonomous navigation or unmanned systems cooperation. These samples, however, are still in the early stages of research.
There are many difficulties ahead
The limitations of lidar are not the only problem facing ground-based mobile robots (HMPs). According to the study "Terrain fit and integration of unmanned ground systems", as well as the study "Determination of all basic technical and safety requirements for military unmanned vehicles when operating in a combined mission involving manned and unmanned systems" (SafeMUVe), funded by the European Defense Agency, challenges and opportunities can be broken down into five different categories:
1. Operational: There are many potential tasks that can be considered for ground mobile robots with autonomous functions (communication center, surveillance, reconnaissance of zones and routes, evacuation of the wounded, reconnaissance of weapons of mass destruction, following the leader with a load, escorting during the delivery of supplies, clearing routes, etc..), but operational concepts to support all of this are still lacking. Thus, it is difficult for developers of ground-based mobile robots with autonomous functions to develop systems that will accurately meet the requirements of the military. The organization of forums or working groups for unmanned vehicle users with autonomous functions could solve this problem.
2. Technical: The potential benefits of self-contained HMPs are significant, but there are technical hurdles that still need to be overcome. Depending on the intended task, NMR can be equipped with various sets of onboard equipment (sensors for reconnaissance and observation or monitoring and detection of weapons of mass destruction, manipulators for handling explosives or weapons systems, navigation and guidance systems), information collection kits, operator control kits and control equipment …This means that some disruptive technologies are badly needed, such as decision making / cognitive computing, human-machine interaction, computer visualization, battery technology, or collaborative information gathering. In particular, the unstructured and contested environment makes navigation and guidance systems very difficult to operate. Here it is necessary to move towards the development of new sensors (thermal neutron detectors, interferometers based on supercooled atoms technology, smart actuators for monitoring and control, advanced electromagnetic induction sensors, infrared spectroscopes) and techniques, for example, decentralized and joint SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). localization and mapping) and three-dimensional terrain survey, relative navigation, advanced integration and fusion of data from existing sensors, as well as providing mobility using technical vision. The problem lies not so much in the technological nature, since most of these technologies are already in use in the civilian sphere, but in regulation. Indeed, such technologies cannot be immediately used for military purposes, since they must be adapted to specific military requirements.
This is precisely the purpose of the EAO's OSRA Comprehensive Strategic Research Program, which is a tool that can provide the necessary solutions. Within the OSRA, several so-called technological building blocks or TBB (Technology Building Block) are being developed, which should eliminate technological gaps associated with ground robots, for example: joint actions of manned and uninhabited platforms, adaptive interaction between a man and an unmanned system with different levels of autonomy; control and diagnostics system; new user interfaces; navigation in the absence of satellite signals; autonomous and automated guidance, navigation and control and decision-making algorithms for crewed and unmanned platforms; control of several robots and their joint actions; high-precision guidance and control of weapons; active visualization systems; artificial intelligence and big data to support decision making. Each TVB is owned by a dedicated group or CapTech, which includes experts from government, industry and science. The challenge for each CapTech group is to develop a roadmap for their TVB.
3. Regulatory / Legal: A significant obstacle to the introduction of autonomous systems in the military arena is the lack of suitable verification and assessment methodologies or certification processes that are required to confirm that even a mobile robot with the most basic autonomous functions is capable of operating correctly and safely even in hostile and challenging environments. In the civilian world, self-driving cars face the same problems. According to the SafeMUVe study, the main lag identified in terms of specific standards / best practices is in modules related to higher levels of autonomy, namely Automation and Data Merging. Modules such as, for example, "Perception of the external environment", "Localization and mapping", "Surveillance" (Decision making), "Traffic planning", etc., are still at medium levels of technological readiness and, although there are several solutions and algorithms designed to perform various tasks, but no standard is yet available. In this respect, there is also a backlog regarding the verification and certification of these modules, partially addressed by the European initiative ENABLE-S3. EAO's newly established network of test centers was the first step in the right direction. This allows national centers to implement joint initiatives to prepare for testing promising technologies, for example, in the field of robotics.
4. Personnel: The expanded use of unmanned and autonomous ground systems will require changes in the military education system, including the training of operators. First of all, military personnel need to understand the technical principles of the autonomy of the system in order to properly operate and control it, if necessary. The creation of trust between the user and the autonomous system is a prerequisite for the wider application of terrestrial systems with a higher level of autonomy.
5. Financial: While global commercial players such as Uber, Google, Tesla or Toyota are investing billions of euros in self-driving cars, the military is spending much more modest sums on unmanned ground systems, which are also split between countries that have their own national plans to develop such platforms. The emerging European Defense Fund should help consolidate funding and support a collaborative approach to developing ground-based mobile robots with more advanced autonomous functions.
European Agency work
EOA has been actively working in the field of ground mobile robots for several years. Special technology aspects such as mapping, route planning, following the leader or avoiding obstacles have been developed in collaborative research projects such as SAM-UGV or HyMUP; both are co-financed by France and Germany.
The SAM-UGV project is aimed at developing a stand-alone technology demonstration model based on a mobile ground platform, which is distinguished by a modular architecture of both hardware and software. In particular, the technology demonstration sample confirmed the concept of scalable autonomy (switching between remote control, semi-autonomy and fully autonomous mode). The SAM-UGV project was further developed within the framework of the HyMUP project, which confirmed the possibility of performing combat missions with unmanned systems in coordination with existing manned vehicles.
In addition, the protection of autonomous systems from deliberate interference, the development of safety requirements for mixed tasks and the standardization of HMP are currently being addressed by the PASEI project and the SafeMUVe and SUGV studies, respectively.
On water and under water
Automatic maritime systems (AMS) have a significant impact on the nature of warfare, and everywhere. The widespread availability and cost reduction of components and technologies that can be used in military systems allow an increasing number of state and non-state actors to gain access to the waters of the world's oceans. In recent years, the number of operated AWSs has increased several times and therefore it is imperative that appropriate programs and projects are implemented that would provide the fleets with the necessary technologies and capabilities to guarantee safe and free navigation in the seas and oceans.
The influence of fully autonomous systems is already so strong that any defense industry that misses this technological breakthrough will also miss the technological development of the future. Unmanned and autonomous systems can be used with great success in the military sphere to perform complex and tough tasks, especially in hostile and unpredictable conditions, which the maritime environment clearly and illustrates. The maritime world is easy to challenge, it is often absent from maps and difficult to navigate, and these autonomous systems can help overcome some of these challenges. They have the ability to perform tasks without direct human intervention, using modes of operation due to the interaction of computer programs with the external space.
It is safe to say that the use of AMS in maritime operations has the broadest prospects and all "thanks" to the hostility, unpredictability and size of the sea space. It is worth noting that the irrepressible thirst for conquering sea spaces, combined with the most complex and advanced scientific and technological solutions, have always been the key to success.
AMCs are gaining more and more popularity among sailors, becoming an integral part of fleets, where they are mainly used in non-lethal missions, for example, in mine action, for reconnaissance, surveillance and information gathering. But autonomous maritime systems have the greatest potential in the underwater world. The underwater world is becoming an arena of increasingly fierce disputes, the struggle for marine resources is intensifying, and at the same time, there is a high need to ensure the safety of maritime communications.
