Australian Defence Force aims to integrate robotic war strategies

Soldiers to be integrated with robotics and artificial intelligence in bid to boost Australia’s frontline combat strike power.

Australian soldiers train with a Vision 60 prototype robot. Picture: Twitter

The Australian Defence Force is devising a strategy to develop hi-tech soldiers and weaponised ­robots under a new program to “modernise levels of protection and lethality” for frontline troops.

As China and other nations aggressively expand modern warfare technology, defence chiefs have adopted an “accelerated” plan, focusing on Human Machine Teaming to combine robotic systems and soldier ­capacity to “achieve tactical ­advantage”.

The defence strategy, outlined in AusTender documents lodged by the Defence Department, aims to integrate soldiers, robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors and data to boost frontline combat strike power.

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Ghost's latest Vision 60 Q-UGV prototype... v3 aka "frisky" takes first steps in the lab. Much faster, agile, hardened. Will make its outdoor debut soon. Perfect for military, industrial, mining and natural resource co. sensing, inspection and asset mgmt uses

Robots# robotics# pic.twitter.com/BRtPOIUzLt

— Ghost Robotics (@Ghost_Robotics) September 27, 2018

Major General Mick Ryan, who has championed new technologies, has predicted that by the middle of the 21st century, military forces will contain tens of thousands of robots and that decisions of human commanders will be informed and shaped by artificial intelligence.

The department tender, which closes on Friday, calls on the private sector to partner with the Australian Army to ­“improve the advantage of the Australian close combatant system over the coming decade”. “Emerging technology and speed of lethality development cycles require the Soldier Combat System to continuously modernise levels of protection and lethality,” Defence documents say.

“The next generation of SCS will explore the integration of machines, sensors and data to enhance close combatant survivability, lethality and local environment understanding.”

Human Machine Teaming is viewed as critical to modernise “interactions between human and robotic agents to achieve a tactical advantage”.

The Australian understands autonomous hardware, already being trialled in armoured vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles, digital guns incorporating computerised sight and automated firing technology and weaponised drones are new technologies being considered to support modern land warfare.

An autonomous version of the M113 AS4 is being trialled by the Australian Defence Force. Picture: Supplied

AusTender documents reveal Defence is moving to develop the army’s soldier combat system to create a digital network that “en­ables machines, sensors and people to co-operate through data”.

“The development of the HUM-T for the close combatant environment is ambitious. The difficulty is not in the development of technologies to support the realisation — in many cases, the technology exists.

“The challenge is that the technologies have not been ­integrated to achieve a collaborative effect.

“The SCSP intends to act as a co-ordination focal point for the development of robotics and autonomous systems integration for the Australian Army platoon and below size organisations.”

The future soldier weapon system.

In July, the Australian Army hosted a workshop focusing on Human Machine Teaming outlining the “Army in Motion” strategy, exploring opportunities to apply robotic and autonomous systems (RAS).

Defence documents reveal soldiers could be enhanced through new technologies, including uniforms capable of sensing and adjusting to environmental conditions, metabolic cooling vests, body armour with power storage and human machine interfaces that convert neurological impulses into physical or electrical action.

Virtual and AI technologies are also being developed that will assist with navigation and reconnaissance for soldiers and sensors that identify features including animals, grass and levels of oxygen.

Defence also supports dev­elopment in “optics, night ­fighting equipment, communi­cations (and) battle management systems”.

An Australian Army report titled Robotic and Autonomous Systems Strategy says the use of “advanced and networked technologies on the battlefield is increasing and future war-fighting is expected to centre on human-machine teams both in the physical and virtual sense”.