Autonomous drones may soon follow troops to act as eyes in the sky and conduct detailed surveillance and reconnaissance missions. So far, drone use by military personnel falls into the category of “pilot” UAV applications.
The use of autonomous drones expands the flexibility of ground operators. It also raises important questions about the use of autonomous and robotic systems in national defense.
“Aerial robots provide us with unique capabilities that the government seeks to develop and deploy. They are completely self-sufficient and are a valuable asset for better understanding the situation,” said Nader Elm, CEO of Exyn Technologies.
Exyn began developing for businesses and operates in sectors such as oil and gas and infrastructure inspection. The company are designed to operate in complex environments where GPS is not available, where unfamiliar terrain and uncertain ground conditions can put soldiers' lives at risk.
These capabilities make the drones well-suited to defense applications as well. Unlike other unmanned aerial vehicles used for ground warfare, which are primarily pilot-based, Exyn’s drones are fully autonomous and operate without the need for a pilot or pre-loaded maps. A new feature called Scoutonomy allows Exyn’s drones to collect further key data to support military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, such as mapping terrain and tangible structures and determining the location of enemy forces and equipment.
It is important to note that Exyn’s drones are surveillance tools and do not carry weapons. As such, they are not subject to strict restrictions under Department of Defense, which places restrictions on autonomous weapons to prevent them from firing if communications are lost. However, the growing prevalence of autonomous defense systems indicates shifting attitudes within the U.S. and signals a further reliance on robotic tools in combat.
Exyn, for example, argues that autonomous systems can help soldiers stay safe and avoid operational accidents due to insufficient or inaccurate intelligence.
“We are very proud of our robots’ ability to identify threats, reduce operational risks, and save the lives of soldiers and civilians in unfamiliar and volatile situations,” says Elm. “Now you can send a drone to perform highly sensitive missions that are too dangerous for human soldiers, and obtain data that is unprecedented in level of detail and accuracy.”
It’s also worth noting that there are civilian applications for the technology, including supporting search-and-rescue efforts. Drones like Exyn’s can help quickly search for survivors trapped in hard-to-reach areas. Because Exyn’s drones can cover more areas and transmit critical information faster than many other systems, they are potentially life-saving tools for coordinating the ground team response, which is typically the most time-consuming aspect of these operations. But the real money is in defense, not search and rescue.
