The European Defense Agency ( EDA) has launched a project to develop a swarm of autonomous all-terrain vehicles ARTUS (Autonomous Rough-terrain Transport UGV Swarm) as a launch event. Ground-based unmanned military vehicles are supposed to be combined with the help of artificial intelligence
First of all, the technical feasibility concept provides for determining the capabilities of supporting an infantry platoon in combat with a small swarm of intelligent and autonomously operating unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The support swarm is designed to significantly increase the combat effectiveness of infantry by escorting and supporting standard weapons in off-road conditions, including dense forests or sloping terrain.
The swarm must respond autonomously to unexpected events, such as the loss of some of its members. In general, it is necessary to increase the mobility and maneuverability of the unit, as well as the overall level of protection of the troops. The capabilities of the concept must be confirmed by the demonstrator.
The research consortium is headed by the Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research (Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V., Germany). It also includes the newly established research organization Onera (France), the global player in the field of defense systems, Diehl Defense (Germany) and the medium-sized innovative enterprise Chagismes (Austria). The project, funded by the EU, is designed for 24 months. The volume of investments so far amounted to 1.54 million euros.
Based on the materials of the resource esut.de