Navy researchers have achieved a breakthrough in autonomous technology, developing a “swarming” system that employs multiple unmanned boats working together to escort ships, patrol harbors or confront adversaries.
The Navy sees a lot of advantages in having “swarmboats.”
Developed by the Office of Naval Research, the Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing, or CARACaS, system can, for the cost of several thousand dollars, turn just about any boat into an unmanned vessel, according to Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of Naval Research.
During a two-week demonstration in August, as many as 13 patrol boats and other vehicles outfitted with the CARACaS sensor and software kit worked in concert—either autonomously or by remote—on the James River in Virginia, escorting a high-value vessel (in this case, the researchers’ ship, the Relentless), which is and then surrounding a mock enemy ship when it appeared. Although the purpose was to demonstrate the boats’ ability to swarm, boats operated by remote could have fired on the intruding ship as well, Klunder said during a recent conference call with reporters.
The Navy sees a lot of advantages in having “swarmboats.” They’re cheaper than manned boats, and in addition to keeping sailors out of harm’s way, they keep sailors who otherwise would be sent out on patrol from being pulled away from their assigned jobs aboard ship. And the kits can take advantage of smaller boats already aboard cruisers, destroyer and carriers, without the need to buy new vessels.
The Latest on: Swarmboats
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The Latest on: Swarmboats
- U.S. Tests Autonomous Swarmboatson December 19, 2016 at 10:11 am
During the demo, unmanned boats were given a large area of open water to patrol. As an unknown vessel entered the area, the group of swarmboats collaboratively determined which patrol boat would ...
- The Navy is building fleets of unmanned 'swarmboats' that can overwhelm and confuse enemieson December 15, 2016 at 6:03 am
The Navy’s new “swarmboats” aren’t being developed to replace its sailors and marines, however. Instead, they’re intended to assist in duties that might be too dull or too dangerous. The ONR’s most ...
- US Navy's drone 'swarmboats' show off pack tacticson December 15, 2016 at 1:51 am
While the US Navy's new state-of-the-art USS Zumwalt destroyer struggles to remain functional, the service branch's R&D department has been busy investigating cutting-edge tech at a much smaller scale ...
- Autonomous Swarmboats: New Missions, Safe Harborson December 14, 2016 at 12:36 am
During the demo, unmanned boats were given a large area of open water to patrol. As an unknown vessel entered the area, the group of swarmboats collaboratively determined which patrol boat would ...
- US Navy's First Autonomous Swarmboats Are Controlled with Ubuntuon October 10, 2014 at 12:00 am
The US Navy has unveiled a new type of autonomous vehicles, called Swarmboats. These are actually small patrol boats or unmanned surface vehicles (USV) and they seem to be controlled by using a weird ...
- US Navy deploys autonomous unmanned ‘swarmboats’ to keep its larger ships safeon October 8, 2014 at 4:09 am
The US Navy, obviously a little bit jealous of the US Air Force’s autonomous aerial drones, has unveiled its new autonomous swarmboats. Swarmboats — that’s what the Navy is calling them, not me! — are ...
- The future is now: Navy's autonomous swarmboats can overwhelm adversarieson October 6, 2014 at 9:48 am
As autonomy and unmanned systems grow in importance for naval operations, officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced today a technological breakthrough that will allow any unmanned ...
- US Navy tests autonomous Swarmboatson October 6, 2014 at 5:10 am
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has demonstrated autonomous Swarmboats that are capable of defending and attacking potential threats. The two-week exercise involved 13 navy boats escorting a ...
- 7 questions about the Navy’s autonomous ‘swarmboats’on October 6, 2014 at 5:03 am
It’s similar in concept to how Google’s self-driving cars make themselves aware of their environment. The autonomous swarmboats could be part of the Navy’s fleet within a year. 2. Why do we need ...
- The Navy's Developing Little Autonomous Boats to Defend Its Shipson October 6, 2014 at 3:30 am
And that means placing sailors in the line of fire. That got the Office of Naval Research into developing autonomous technology for small "swarmboats" that could be used for risky jobs. These vessels ...
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