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Unmanned Aircraft Systems

ment of the control environment in
many applications. Not all of the infor-
mation that the swarm collects can be
anticipated, and in some applications,
the interface between the swarm and
the controller becomes essential.
Human-swarm interfaces that sup-
port interactions with swarms must be
efficient and effective and recognize
that some applications in conflict and
disaster settings require near-instanta-
neous decision making. An important
challenge is the design of both the in-
terface through which data is collected
and disseminated among the swarm’s
members, and the processing system
that translates that data into meaning-
ful and relevant decision-support in-
formation.
There is clearly a balancing act be-
tween the need for autonomy and the
importance of management by an oper-
ator. Swarms must be able to perform
well-defined behaviors without central
controllers, and in some cases should be
Autonomous air and ground vehicles head out for a run during the DARPA OFFSET program’s second field
experiment in Fort Benning, Georgia. Charles River Analytics is a multi-track performer on OFFSET. (Photo capable of completing a mission on
Credit: DARPA) their own. In other situations, it is es-
sential that unexpected information be
Drone swarms are, in every sense, a Autonomous Operations recognized and trigger an appropriate
transformational technology. They can Autonomous operations are critical to reaction in a timely fashion from a
replace humans in dangerous or hostile the success of swarms because coordi- human operator.
environments. In sufficient numbers, nated movement and action is their
they can collect information from mul- fundamental contribution. Intel’s enter- Safety
tiple locations and directions, integrat- tainment programs mentioned earlier Safety is another factor critical to many
ing it to form insights not otherwise have coordinated up to 500 individual applications. The most significant con-
available. That information can inform drones, and reports suggest that China cern with not having an operator directly
decision makers who cannot enter the has successfully tested swarms of 2,000 piloting each drone is the apparent loss
environment nor capture information drones, about the number used in their of positive control over the vehicles. This
from multiple angles and perspectives. New Year’s celebration. However, these factor is relevant not just because of the
Drones can operate in environments— applications depend on pre-established environments in which drone swarms
space, underwater, fires, battlefields— choreography that specifies the swarm’s might be operating (e.g., battlefields, dis-
that are otherwise impossible or too formations. The DARPA OFFSET pro- aster settings), but also because there is
risky for humans or alternative tech- gram involves autonomous swarms of the potential for things to go wrong.
nologies. And drones can leverage ad- 250 or more drones to enable real-time Individual drones could fail because of
vances in many technologies, such as information-based decisions about how mechanical issues, environmental fac-
smart sensors, applying them in other- to best achieve the objectives by the tors, or counterattacks. Communications
wise impossible applications. swarm, independent of direct guidance within the swarm could be disrupted if a
Successful widespread implementation by operators. “leader drone” simply malfunctions or an
of drone swarm technology will require Although autonomy is essential, at adversary takes aggressive hostile action
continued advances in a number of areas. the same time the swarm must be man- (e.g., jamming, etc.). Addressing swarm
Progress has already occurred to the point aged. The tacticians in command of a safety and resiliency is often application
that testing is underway by many organ- swarm must be able to understand the specific, requiring insights into situa-
izations, but there is significant room for swarm’s assignment, progress, and tional challenges beyond those that are
further advances. The following capabili- health without being directly responsi- omnipresent in standard theaters of oper-
ties will eventually define the success of ble for the activity of each vehicle in the ation. Creating control systems to ensure
drone swarm technology and the applica- swarm. This is not only relevant in the safety via real-time responses to threats is
tions to which it can contribute. design phase, but is also a crucial ele- a critical challenge for any application.

16 www.aerodefensetech.com Aerospace & Defense Technology, May 2020