Civil Applications of sUAS Swarms
Presented during Concurrent Session 1B: UAS: Industry Perspectives
Abstract
Small UAS (sUAS) swarm technology, also referred to as drone swarms—the capability of numerous drones, as a “swarm,” to autonomously generate decisions based on shared information, conditions of the environment, and react to the laws of physics more efficiently than a biological organism. With each passing day, sciences in algorithms, energy, and the menagerie of engineering disciplines inch us ever closer to the “Singularity” theory/prediction proposed in the book, The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, written by acclaimed futurist Ray Kurzweil. It is a reasonable assumption to say that these swarms will soon be applied to a great many applications to virtually all areas of homeland security, foreign conflicts, and commercial applications. For the sake of this NTAS we will focus on aerial drone sUAS swarms, however, the other physical domains of air, land, sea, and space will also be inundated with similar entities.
Many technological innovations that initially entered existence as purely military capability, ultimately enriched our daily lives such as the Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS). So how do we as a society leverage sUAS swarms to our advantage to enhance our well-being? sUAS swarms could become the next “drug sniffing” dogs of the skies, by the dozens or hundreds. They could patrol the border, coastlines, and conduct environmental monitoring of would-be poachers. They could assist search and rescue first responders to locate victims and quickly identify, report, and pursue violent criminals. The applications are seemingly limitless, and it is time to begin planning now to ensure the safe and responsible use of the technology.
Civil Applications of sUAS Swarms
Mori Hosseini Student Union Events Center (Bldg #610) – Rooms 165 E/F
Small UAS (sUAS) swarm technology, also referred to as drone swarms—the capability of numerous drones, as a “swarm,” to autonomously generate decisions based on shared information, conditions of the environment, and react to the laws of physics more efficiently than a biological organism. With each passing day, sciences in algorithms, energy, and the menagerie of engineering disciplines inch us ever closer to the “Singularity” theory/prediction proposed in the book, The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, written by acclaimed futurist Ray Kurzweil. It is a reasonable assumption to say that these swarms will soon be applied to a great many applications to virtually all areas of homeland security, foreign conflicts, and commercial applications. For the sake of this NTAS we will focus on aerial drone sUAS swarms, however, the other physical domains of air, land, sea, and space will also be inundated with similar entities.
Many technological innovations that initially entered existence as purely military capability, ultimately enriched our daily lives such as the Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS). So how do we as a society leverage sUAS swarms to our advantage to enhance our well-being? sUAS swarms could become the next “drug sniffing” dogs of the skies, by the dozens or hundreds. They could patrol the border, coastlines, and conduct environmental monitoring of would-be poachers. They could assist search and rescue first responders to locate victims and quickly identify, report, and pursue violent criminals. The applications are seemingly limitless, and it is time to begin planning now to ensure the safe and responsible use of the technology.
