Northrop Grumman wants YOU to help design swarm tactics for offensive swarm tactics

I don't know if this has been discussed before, but I think this was interesting.



The concept is, as far as I can tell, to crowdsource development of tactics for swarms of robots in a computer game environment. The plan is to select the most effective ones for inclusion in the OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program, or at least their suggested implementation of it.

So, basically, beta testing swarms of robots with offensive capabilities.

It remains somewhat unclear if anyone will be able to participate, or if there will be a selection process, but the website is already up and you can register for updates on www.swarmtex.com.

I think it is nice touch that when our robot masters finally take control, we can rest a little easier, knowing that at least they did it with our own tactics :-)

It will be interesting to see what the denizens of the internet will be able to do with this. I remember that the good folks of the net certainly taught a certain AI from Microsoft to communicate.

Anyway, it certainly is a brave new world allright.

Happy BETA-testing!

BT

I saw this worked out in that movie Ender's Game. You send in swarms of basically expendable attack ships to stress and weaken an enemy's defenses, punch through a hole, then hit them with the big killer to finish them off. Works best if you have a lot of expendables. Like human soldiers in WWII.

a reply to: Blue Shift

Heh, yes, a good book. I must say this is the first time I have seen a major military contractor go down this route when designing a defense system.

I guess it makes as much sense as having your own people work out everything, at least in an early phase.

Still, a novel approach.

There are many armchair Napoleons out there, and here is their chance.

All those hours invested into C&C and StarCraft - not so wasted after all.

Cheers,

BT

a reply to: beetee

Thats interesting.

I want to play...It must be awesome.

originally posted by: beetee
a reply to: Blue Shift

Heh, yes, a good book. I must say this is the first time I have seen a major military contractor go down this route when designing a defense system.

I guess it makes as much sense as having your own people work out everything, at least in an early phase.

Still, a novel approach.

There are many armchair Napoleons out there, and here is their chance.

All those hours invested into C&C and StarCraft - not so wasted after all.

Cheers,

BT

This is aircraft right/wrong? Anway I presume they already have their own swarms of little critters doing something at least simple. It should be very easy for a swarm of critters to down a jet if a few birdies can do it...maybe that's not cricket though!

Very simple though...no big horsy heat seeking missiles.

a reply to: tadaman

Well, the turial is slated for this month according to the website, while the game is slated for "release" in May 2018, so there are some months left to polish up on those StarCraft tactics :-)

Zerg, preferably, I should think :-)

a reply to: smurfy

I'm guessing this is more combined arms sort of stuff. Probably some airborne assets too, but probably a mixture. I think urban environments are mentioned somewhere.

I wonder if human assets will be factored in at all ;-)

This is interesting stuff and will become a big part of our future.
But it seems like your RTS skills will come second to your understanding of the ROS, robot operating system.
If you want to control all sorts of devices in close proximity and have them do usefull stuff, well things get complicated very quickly.

But great potential for mesh networks with hundreds of specialized devices that can quickly and effectively get the tactical upperhand in a scenario. Loads of information generated by dozens of sensors combined with autonomous weapon platforms, very deadly. Mix in some genius stonecold AI and we got ourselves some real life Skynet.
Pretty scary thoughts that need to leave now

originally posted by: beetee
a reply to: smurfy

I think urban environments are mentioned somewhere.

Well, we have seen that meme somewhere in tomorrows world type programmes, little critters whizzing into buildings dropping little bermbs, controlled remotely by some 'pilot' sweating his/her brains out...etc.
I see that as about a five minute scenario on the lastability scale, on the other hand, birdies in the sky could bring something down just by virtue of being there...and in the road, (that's Irish for being in the way) or cause failure.
Perhaps I guess though, looking at Syria in 2018, some people are thinking of the futility of destruction, and the bad karma that it now is. People now realise, perhaps more than ever, that 'collateral damage' is less accidental, and more deliberate.
They don't want that or ask for it.
The thing is, it should be easy to knock out the war actors, and their massive weapons and infrastructures, anywhere in simple, hopefully benign ways if the will was there.

a reply to: beetee

The concept is, as far as I can tell, to crowdsource development of tactics for swarms of robots in a computer game environment.

Yah, sure, only a an exercise, only gaming.

The hell.

If it's an urban environment, I assume the swarms would be both land-based and airborne. I sure would hate to get attacked by a lot of little, creeping robotic spiders programmed with the simple instructions of crawl, find, and bite.

Another movie (actually a serial) of interest, The Phantom Creeps, with Bela Lugosi.

Go help them designs humanities end, yeyeah!!!

a reply to: beetee

Tactics when using robots are different than when using live people. This is very interesting. I think I can have some fun with this.

originally posted by: Blue Shift
I saw this worked out in that movie Ender's Game. You send in swarms of basically expendable attack ships to stress and weaken an enemy's defenses, punch through a hole, then hit them with the big killer to finish them off. Works best if you have a lot of expendables. Like human soldiers in WWII.

Methinks I would use hungry reproducing material eating NanoSwarms....and Enders game would have ended a lot sooner with very few resources expended.....just one big harmless looking particle cloud would oddly be coming right at you.....lol.

No rules about how big the vehicle to be swarming is right....Nano is included I hope.

a reply to: one4all Imagine sending these against a carrier in port. Attach them to side of carrier painted grey of course. Then when the carrier gets out to sea with active operations send one of them to the flight deck and drop gravel on the flight deck. That would shut down operation ruin airplane engines. It could be done again and again with no traceability to the attacker. Just a bad thought or two.