Unmanned Systems

Attack helicopters are facing a growing challenge on today's battlefield. The widespread use of inexpensive drones, loitering munitions and persistent aerial surveillance has made...

As militaries and security organizations deploy growing numbers of drones, robots, and autonomous systems, a new challenge is emerging: each platform comes with its...

Maritime surveillance requires military forces to monitor enormous areas while identifying ships, submarines and other potential threats as quickly as possible. Crewed patrol aircraft...

Flying autonomously through complex environments requires more than knowing where a drone is. The aircraft must continuously understand what surrounds it, distinguish open routes...

Inspecting pipelines, power lines and transportation corridors presents a difficult logistical problem. These assets can stretch for hundreds of kilometers through remote terrain, making...

Designing an efficient drone propeller involves far more than choosing the right diameter or number of blades. Small changes in blade geometry can affect...

Persistent surveillance is one of the biggest challenges in modern military operations. Conventional drones are limited by battery capacity or fuel, requiring frequent landings...

Small military drones are taking on increasingly complex missions, from reconnaissance and target tracking to autonomous navigation and coordinated swarm operations. Yet many of...

The rapid spread of military drones has created a growing problem for air-defense forces. Many attack drones are inexpensive to produce, yet they are...

Protecting large industrial sites, airports, campuses and critical infrastructure often requires continuous patrols over wide areas. Autonomous security robots are increasingly being used to...

Unexploded bombs, naval mines, and artillery shells left behind by past conflicts remain a hazard in coastal waters around the world. Buried beneath sand...

Vision has improved dramatically in modern robots, but touch remains one of the most difficult human senses to reproduce. Detecting exactly how much pressure...

Countering small drones has become increasingly difficult as unmanned aircraft grow smaller, cheaper, and more numerous. Traditional radar systems can detect many aerial threats,...

The growing use of small drones on the battlefield is creating new challenges for military forces. Detecting an incoming unmanned aircraft is only the...

Modern militaries are fielding an increasingly diverse range of unmanned systems, from interceptor missiles and one-way attack drones to robotic ground vehicles. While these...

Resupplying personnel in remote or contested areas is one of the most difficult challenges in military and emergency operations. Landing a drone to deliver...

Maritime surveillance often requires both surface vessels and aerial drones to maintain awareness over large areas. While drones provide a much wider field of...

Modern battlefields are saturated with electronic activity. Radars, jammers, drone control stations, communications systems, and other emitters constantly transmit radio-frequency signals that can reveal...

Every minute counts during water rescue operations. Whether responding to a person swept away by strong currents or someone struggling after a boating accident,...

Delivering supplies to frontline forces has become increasingly dangerous as drones, long-range weapons and persistent surveillance make logistics aircraft attractive targets. In many cases,...

Robots designed for industrial inspection or emergency response often face a tradeoff. Wheeled platforms can move quickly and efficiently over long distances but struggle...

Underwater environments are notoriously demanding for electronic systems. Sensors used by divers and underwater robots must withstand pressure, moisture and constant mechanical stress while...