Example SAF system operator interface for VR-Forces.
Screenshot of the initial deployments in a VR-Forces simulation of the Battle of 73 Easting. The circle icons represent US vehicles and the diamond and pentagonal icons represent Iraqi vehicles. The seven westernmost Iraqi icons are the notional UASs that constitute the robot swarm; they were not present in the historical battle.
Screenshot of a VR-Forces simulation of the Battle of 73 Easting, approximately midway through the battle. The US forces have already passed through the first Iraqi battle position from west to east and are engaging the second. A circle with a slash over a vehicle icon indicates that the vehicle is destroyed.
This article was written in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Foster at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Militaries are developing swarms of autonomous robotic Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to conduct missions that are too hazardous for human crews or expensive robotic systems. Using MAK's VR-Forces CGF, researchers at the University of Alabam...