The US Navy's team of highly trained military personnel is not limited to humans.
A recent test by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) of unmanned swarming boats leads the way for possible future autonomous missions.
Under development for more than a decade, the ONR's CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing) technology cuts back on resources and manpower during routine, often dangerous missions.
Instead of deploying four patrol boats with five sailors each, one or two officers can remotely monitor an unmanned fleet from an operations center.
The inexpensive and expendable ships are meant to detect, deter, and detain unauthorized or threatening vessels. First demonstrated in 2014 when they protected a high-value ship from simulated attackers, the unmanned vehicles work cooperatively to confuse water-bound enemies.
"This technology allows unmanned Navy ships to overwhelm an adversary," Cmrd. Luis Molina, military deputy for ONR's sea warfare and weapons department, said in a statement. "Its sensors and software enable swarming capability, giving naval warfighters a decisive edge."
A second trial in October showed what Molina called "some remarkable advances in autonomous capabilities."
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"While previous work had focused on autonomous protection of high-value ships, this time we're focused on harbor approach defense," he added.
During the demo, four autonomous crafts were assigned an area of the Chesapeake Bay to patrol. As an unknown vessel entered a space, the nearest boat moved toward it, classifying it as a threat or not. That data is then shared among the four ships and transmitted back to the command center.
"The autonomous technology we are developing for our sailors and marines is versatile enough that it will assist them in performing many different missions, ONR program officer Robert Brizzolara said. "It will keep them safer."