Sarcos has won an AFRL contract to develop a collaborative sensing platform to detect, track and classify time-critical objects in adverse conditions. Credit: Air Force Staff Sgt Rachel Simones/US DoD.

Sarcos Technology and Robotics’ wholly owned subsidiary has been awarded a contract from the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

Under the new contract, Sarcos Defense will develop a collaborative sensing platform for the US Department of Defense (DoD).

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The system will support the DoD to identify, track and classify time-sensitive objects in various adversarial environments.

According to Sarcos, research will focus on the collaborative sensing algorithms, which can allow the autonomous and semi-autonomous systems to accurately detect, track and classify known and unknown objects of interest.

The effort revolves around a new artificial intelligence (AI) concept called Closed Loop Ubiquitous Tasking and Control of Heterogeneous Exploring Sensors (CLUTCHES).

CLUTCHES integrates upstream multi-sensor fusion with individual platforms or adaptive real-time sensor management systems.

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Sarcos chief technology officer Dr Denis Garagić said: “This new contract with AFRL will support our development efforts for a collaborative sensing solution that enables our DoD partners to quickly, accurately, and safely identify, track, and classify time-critical objects using autonomous heterogeneous sensor networks and AI.

“This project has significant potential across the US defence industry and beyond, to improve the operations, safety, data collection and communication of autonomous platforms such as UASs and UAVs.”

The research will also support Sarcos and AFRL’s efforts for the development of the Cybernetic Training for Autonomous Robots (CYTAR) AI system.

AFRL Dr Peter Zulch said: “This research is critically important to the DoD and may have significant benefits to our overall US defence operations.”

Last year, Sarcos Defense, together with BAE Systems, secured a contract to develop sensing capabilities for AFRL’s autonomous platforms.

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