By Jim Magill, DroneLife Features Editor
AI PalladyneAn artificial intelligence and machine learning software company, which recently launched a defense arm to develop AI-based drone systems for use in warfare, is committed to keeping humans informed about combat decisions, according to the company’s executive.
“Through our AI platforms, humans are able to supervise, interrupt and redirect machine performance at any time,” said Ben Wolff, president and CEO of Palladyne AI, in an email interview with DroneLife.
The company recently announcement the launch of Palladyne Defense, a new division resulting from the merger with GuideTech LLC and two Crucis companies: Warnke Precision Machining and MKR Fabricators.
Wolff said the acquisitions would allow Palladyne to combine the parent company’s expertise in AI software with the acquired companies’ experience in precision hardware manufacturing.
“Even though we have successfully integrated our AI system onto drones produced by third parties, the fact is that we can maximize the full potential of our AI capabilities by developing purpose-built hardware,” he said.
He compared Palladyne’s development strategy to those of innovative high-tech companies, such as Tesla and Apple, which have combined their hardware and software development in tandem.
“It’s hard to imagine that either company could be as successful if it focused solely on the hardware or software business, instead of providing a tightly integrated solution in which the hardware and software are designed from the ground up to optimize the end product,” Wolff said.
Palladyne has excelled in developing systems that enable swarms of robots to operate collaboratively, under human supervision, to accomplish complex missions. The company’s new subsidiary, Palladyne Defense, will focus on further development of this technology for military applications.
“SwarmOS™ is the defense variant of Palladyne™ Driverand the Palladyne AI Combat Force Multiplier, a next-generation autonomy platform that allows an operator to manage multiple tactical missions through true collaborative swarming between drones, sensors and autonomous defense systems,” Wolff said. “This coordinated approach results in decisive but ethical, autonomy which improves mission success, reduces risk and provides network advantage for modern defense operations.
Wolff said the company has taught its machines to think like humans in order to learn how to solve tasks in environments that have proven too complex for traditional automation.
“We achieved this by developing and deploying algorithms that focus on the most relevant information needed to accomplish a task or mission, while ignoring any sensor data that is not directly relevant.” In this way, AI systems mimic human behavior, in which people ignore much of the data perceived by their senses “unless and until they consciously or unconsciously conclude that the data is important to them,” he said.
Palladyne’s systems deploy AI at the edge, meaning the AI software is integrated into the drones and robots themselves, rather than sending the data to a central cloud for processing.
“We give robots and drones real-time reasoning and adaptation so they can operate independently and without cloud connectivity, promoting autonomy and resilience in dynamic environments. Our local edge computing approach ensures seamless adaptability, reducing costs and latency to provide uninterrupted operations even in limited communication environments,” Wolff said.
Smart drones used for defense
The creation of Palladyne Defense should allow the company to better support the U.S. Department of Defense’s goals to develop collaborative autonomy systems “with a clear emphasis on cross-domain and cross-platform collaboration,” Wolff said. For this, the company has developed SwarmOS™ as a defense variant of Palladyne™ Drivera new generation autonomy platform that allows an operator to manage multiple tactical missions through collaborative swarming between drones, sensors and autonomous defense systems.
“SwarmOS is a decentralized, edge-based collaborative autonomy platform that allows multiple drones to share relevant, curated information and react to that information in real time, enabling drones to identify, prioritize and track objects of interest,” Wolff said.
He said the AI-based platform “transforms multiple autonomous systems into an intelligent, coordinated team that adapts in real time across air, land and maritime domains. This coordinated approach results in decisive yet ethical autonomy that improves mission success, reduces risk and provides a networked advantage for modern defense operations.”
The SwarmOS system’s capabilities include “autonomous integration with native autopilot and autonomous management of tilt-and-zoom cameras, reducing operator cognitive load and allowing an operator to manage multiple drones simultaneously,” he said.
“The same AI system is also applicable to a variety of different types of autonomous machines, including land, space and maritime assets.”
Among the new defense-related programs that Palladyne is developing is Project Banshee, which aims to develop the next generation of roaming autonomous munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, that fly over a target area, wait for a target to be identified and dive into the target. Integrated with SwarmOS software that enables intelligent autonomous swarming capabilities, the Banshee system will allow military forces to move from an operator-to-drone relationship to a one-to-many relationship, Wolff said.
“The integration of SwarmOS into Project Banshee will be a force multiplier by allowing a single operator to manage a fleet comprised of one of the lowest cost-per-effect systems available. We are focused on cost-effective lethality and precise damage mitigation while redefining the balance between cost, capability and control in modern warfare,” he said.
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Jim Magill is a Houston-based writer with nearly a quarter century of experience covering technical and economic developments in the oil and gas industry. After retiring in December 2019 as an editor at S&P Global Platts, Jim began writing about emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robots and drones, and how they contribute to our society. In addition to DroneLife, Jim is a contributor to Forbes.com and his work has appeared in the Houston Chronicle, US News & World Report, and Unmanned Systems, a publication of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.