Defense Science Board Task Force Report: The Role of Autonomy in DoD Systems

Abstract

Unmanned systems are proving to have a significant impact on warfare worldwide. The true value of these systems is not to provide a direct human replacement, but rather to extend and complement human capability in a number of ways. These systems extend human reach by providing potentially unlimited persistent capabilities without degradation due to fatigue or lack of attention. Unmanned systems offer the warfighter more options and flexibility to access hazardous environments, work at small scales, or react at speeds and scales beyond human capability. With proper design of bounded autonomous capabilities, unmanned systems can also reduce the high cognitive load currently placed on operators/supervisors. Moreover, increased autonomy can enable humans to delegate those tasks that are more effectively done by computer, including synchronizing activities between multiple unmanned systems, software agents and warfighters thus freeing humans to focus on more complex decision making.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA566864

Entities

Organizations

  • Defense Science Board

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Automata Theory
  • Autonomous Navigation
  • Autonomous Systems
  • Cognitive Science
  • Cognitive Systems Engineering
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Vision
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Control Systems
  • Ground Control Stations
  • Human-Robot Interaction
  • Military Applications
  • Military Science
  • Naval Operations
  • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
  • Unmanned Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Aviation Safety Risk Assessment.
  • Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - Human-Robot Interaction
  • Autonomy - UAVs