The Office of Naval Research is examining expanded missions for its swarming-boat technology after demonstrating the ability to perform autonomous harbor defense this past fall. Between Sept. 6 and Oct. 3, ONR tested four unmanned surface vehicles equipped with the Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command Sensing, or CARACaS, system in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The four unmanned boats worked together during the demonstration to autonomously patrol and defend a harbor-sized area from intruding vessels. The latest demonstration built upon...
