DefenceTalkResearchers with DARPA’s Machine Common Sense (MCS) program demonstrated a series of improvements to robotic system performance over the course of multiple experiments. Just as infants must learn from experience, MCS seeks to construct computational models that mimic the core domains of child cognition for objects (intuitive physics), agents (intentional actors), and places (spatial navigation). […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ai-improves-robotic-performance-in-darpas-machine-common-sense-program-79015/

DefenceTalkNorthrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Perceptually-enabled Task Guidance (PTG) program to develop a prototype artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The prototype will be embedded in an augmented reality (AR) headset to help rotary pilots perform expected and unexpected tasks. Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/northrop-grumman-to-develop-prototype-artificial-intelligence-assistant-77807/

DefenceTalkDARPA has selected 10 industry and university research teams for the Enhanced Night Vision in Eyeglass Form (ENVision) program. Current night vision (NV) systems are bulky and heavy, resulting in a significant torque on the wearer’s neck. This torque greatly limits the wearer’s agility and often leads to chronic injury over prolonged use. Additionally, existing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-selects-teams-to-develop-lightweight-enhanced-night-vision-goggles-77670/

DefenceTalkResearchers, roboticists, and technologists deployed swarms of autonomous air and ground vehicles to test mission capabilities in the final field experiment (FX-6) of DARPA’s OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program at the Cassidy Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (CACTF) in Fort Campbell, Tennessee. Since the program kicked off in 2017, OFFSET has held six field experiments […]https://www.defencetalk.com/offset-swarms-take-flight-in-final-field-experiment-77567/

DefenceTalkDARPA’s System Security Integration Through Hardware and firmware (SSITH) program is exploring hardware security architectures and tools that protect electronic systems against common classes of hardware vulnerabilities exploited through software, with the goal of breaking the endless cycle of software patch-and-pray. To date, research on the program has focused on developing approaches and proving out […]

DefenceTalkDARPA, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, completed a free flight test of its Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) last week. The missile, built by Raytheon Technologies, was released from an aircraft seconds before its Northrop Grumman scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) engine kicked on. The engine compressed incoming air mixed with its hydrocarbon fuel […]

DefenceTalkWhile much attention is paid to detecting and remedying flaws or vulnerabilities in software, the way a system is designed can also create large opportunities for attackers. System designers primarily focus on ensuring a program is adept at executing a specific task, focusing on how a design can best support intended features and behaviors and […]

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkFor decades U.S. warfighters have benefitted from advanced night-vision technology, allowing pilots to fly low-level missions on pitch-black nights and ground forces to conduct operations against adversaries in the dark. But current night-vision goggle (NVG) technology requires cumbersome binocular-like optics mounted on a helmet, offering limited field of view (FOV) and putting unhealthy strain on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/night-vision-revolution-less-weight-improved-performance-76658/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkA DARPA network technology program recently concluded field tests demonstrating novel software that bridges multiple disparate radio networks to enable communication between incompatible tactical radio data links – even in the presence of hostile jamming. The technology is transitioning to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and the Marine Corps, which plans to put the software […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-successfully-demonstrates-transitions-advanced-rf-networking-program-76611/

DefenceTalkDefenceTalkAttempts at airborne retrieval of three unmanned air vehicles, nicknamed Gremlins, were just inches from success in DARPA’s latest flight test series that started on October 28. Each X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle (GAV) flew for more than two hours, successfully validating all autonomous formation flying positions and safety features. Nine attempts were made at mechanical […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-gremlins-project-completes-third-flight-test-deployment-76601/