via Wired

Darpa’s Grand Challenge may have looked tough, but it was a piece of cake compared to the challenge facing robots currently being developed by the U.S. Air Force.

Rather than maneuver driverless through miles of rough desert terrain, these will have to find their way into underground bunkers, map unknown facilities in three dimensions and identify what’s in them while avoiding detection — all without any human control.

…The software is a type of neural network with two special features. One introduces perturbations, or “noise,” into the network so that existing ideas get jumbled into new forms. The second is a filter that assesses the new ideas against existing knowledge and discards those that are unsuitable. Current applications range from detecting intruders in computer networks to developing new types of concrete and optimizing missile warheads.

…Perhaps the most impressive — and spookiest — aspect of the project is the swarming behavior of the robots. In computer simulations, they acted together to tackle obstacles and grouped together into defensive formations where needed, Thaler said. They also worked out how to deal with defenders, and spontaneously devised the most efficient strategy for mapping their environment, he added.

…Owen Holland, a researcher at the University of Essex who is building an “ultraswarm” of miniature Bluetooth-connected helicopters, said neural networks can be very effective for dealing with changing circumstances: “If you rip a leg off, they’ll work out what’s happened, and re-evolve a different gait that works.”

Also see AI Reaches the Golden Years