Meta-Study of Recommendations to Transition Autonomous Functionality [video]

Abstract

The Navy, Department of Defense (DoD), and other services have been seeking methods to deliver useful autonomous capabilities to the Warfighter. Multiple studies have been performed that have resulted in a variety of conclusions and recommendations. However, only very limited autonomous functionality has been deployed in fielded unmanned vehicles (UxS). It is hypothesized that these studies frequently repeat previous recommendations and that as a body of work, provide a comprehensive set conclusions and recommendations to address this challenge. However, the funding and implementation of these recommendations is presumed to be inadequate. DoD and Navy leadership are likely to continue to initiate additional studies as long as the slow pace of transition of autonomous functionality continues. It would be useful if these studies had a resource in which to put their research into context and to emphasize the core challenges and solutions. A meta-study to analyze DoD, Navy, consultants, and possibly other services' recommendations regarding autonomous systems/vehicles/robotics is proposed. The meta-study would start with reviewing candidate reports and creating a list of them and creating an online library of those determined to be relevant. The next phase would determine where these reports overlap, where they conflict, and to what degree (if any) recommendations have they been adopted or are being adopted. Additionally, the meta-study would create a relational database and provide it to and those performing future studies/recommendations and provide for updates based on those future studies. This data base would be posted online for access by the DoD autonomy community. Finally, the meta-study would attempt to draw its own set of recommendations for Navy and DoD leadership with a focus on past recommendations that have been stated in multiple reports, are likely to be effective, and have not been implemented to a substantial degree. There have been many such studies. The latest is currently being performed by the Naval Research Advisory Committee.