Command and control of autonomous vehicle groups in changing environments

Stormcharge Ltd was provided with funding from the Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) to take a 3D virtual entertainment platform built using Unity3D and repurpose it as an operational mission control system for autonomous vehicles (air and land).

Stormcharge has worked for 3 years on the battlefield simulation for touch devices. The requirement for a touch based application needed a novel solution for capturing the intent of the user and translating that to intent of autonomous vehicles moving in groups hostile environments based on real map data.

The company has developed a terrain/mapping application collating OpenStreetMap data with elevation data and texture for rapid creation of accurate terrain for operations. It has also integrated unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to the application for flight control from a touchscreen device.

Stormcharge is now looking at several avenues for development, including the innovative and novel use of games-based user experience for the command and control interface to enable the operator to easily, quickly and accurately plan, rehearse and execute missions using groups of autonomous and distributed systems.

View the pitch presentation slides.

About CDE

CDE funds novel, high-risk, high-potential-benefit research. We work with the broadest possible range of science and technology providers, including academia and small companies, to develop cost-effective capabilities for UK armed forces and national security.

CDE is part of Dstl.