American technology firm Anduril Industries has introduced a software platform that is reportedly capable of allowing a single operator to control hordes of drones and other autonomous systems.
Called the Lattice for Mission Autonomy, the software is designed to free up military manpower and other resources so they can be used elsewhere.
It would also allow the US Department of Defense to push past limitations caused by budget and workforce constraints.
“When we look at [US military] unmanned formations today, they cost way too much, there are way too many people inside, [and] they have way too many loops,” company chief strategy officer Chris Brose told reporters.
He further said that requiring multiple personnel to operate unmanned systems will not scale against a competitor like China, which has “four times as many people” as the US.
Apart from controlling hundreds of drones, the company said the software could help improve the reach and capabilities of autonomous systems while enabling warfighters to make better decisions faster.
‘A Fundamental Paradigm Shift’
Anduril Industries describes its new platform as “hardware-agnostic” that enables teams of diverse robotic assets to work together in performing complex missions in any domain.
It also reportedly provides a fundamental paradigm shift on how the military conducts a wide variety of missions.
Its capabilities could help save lives by reducing risk to human operators in dangerous and highly-contested operational environments, according to the manufacturer.
“How are we actually going to operationalize autonomous systems for real life use? And that’s the same question we’re trying to solve with Lattice for Mission Autonomy,” Brose stressed.