Unmanned boats demonstrate autonomous swarm

Video: Office of Naval Research (ONR) As autonomy and unmanned systems grow in importance for naval operations, officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced a technological breakthrough that will allow any unmanned surface vehicle (USV) to not only protect Navy ships, but also, for the first time, autonomously “swarm” offensively on hostile vessels. The new technology will allow the USVs to detect, deter or destroy attacking adversaries. Any weapons fire from the USVs would need to be initiated by a Sailor supervising the mission. Another US Navy division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, has also used robotic platforms - integrating both unmanned surface and aerial vehicles into a system designed to accelerate the targeting and fire correction of naval gunfire. Read more at: