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Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
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OCR for page 1
1 HISTORY AND SCOPE OF ANTS PROJECT
THE ORIGINAL COMMITTEE ' S 1983 REPORT
In 1982 and 1983, a 16-member committee of the National
Research Council ' s Manufacturing Studies Board
1. reviewed U.S. Axmy activities in robotics and
artificial intelligence, and
2. described expected developments in those fields
over the next 5- and 10-year periods.
The result of that co"~ittee's study was the report,
Applications of Robotics to Reduce Risk and Improve
Effectiveness, released in October 1983.
In its report, the committee stressed the significant
contribution that artificial intelligence (AI) and
robotics potentially can make to Army operations. The
report also established criteria for the selection of AI
and robotics projects to fund, and suggested three primary
and three secondary projects based on those criteria. The
committee noted that
. these technologies can enable the Army to
· improve combat capabilities,
· minimize exposure of personnel to hazardous
environments,
· increase mission flexibility,
· increase system reliability,
· reduce unit/life cycle costs,
· reduce manpower requirements,
· simplify training."
1
OCR for page 2
2
For the Army to realize these benefits, the committee
recommended the development of some short-term demonstra-
tors that could be progressively upgraded. The committee
offered the following criteria for selecting specific
demonstrators:
· the project should meet clear army needs,
· a demonstration should be possible within 2 to 3
years,
· the project should use the best state-of-the-art
technology available, and
· computer capacity should be sufficient for future
upgrades.
An additional consideration IS that the selected
projects could form a base for acquainting Axmy personnel
at all levels with these new and revolutionary technol-
ogies. As upgraded, the applications would need to be
capable of operating in a hostile environment.
The selection of specific applications of these
technologies was appropriately left to the Axmy. The
committee did, however, suggest that the following
applications met the criteria:
". The Automatic Loader of Ammunition in Tanks,
using a robotic arm to replace the human loader of
ammunition in a tank. We recommend that two contrac-
tors work simultaneously for 2 to 2-1/2 years at a
total cost of $4 to $5 million per contractor.
~ The Surveillance/Sentry Robot, a portable,
possibly mobile platform to detect and identify
movement of troops. Funded at $5 million for 2 to 3
years, the robot should be able to include two or more
sensor modalities.
~ The Intelligent Maintenance. Diagnosis. and
Repair System in its initial form ~S1 million over
2 years), will be an interactive trainer. Within 3
years, for an additional $5 million, the system should
be expanded to diagnose and suggest repairs for common
breakdowns, recommend whether or not to repair, and
record the repair history of a piece of equipment.
If additional funds are available, . . . the medical
expert system, the flexible material-handling modules,
and the battalion information system are also well
worth doing."
OCR for page 3
3
ACTIVITIES OF THIS COMMITTEE
At the request of the Office of the Deputy Chief of
Staff (Research, Development, and Acquisition), eight of
the original committee members convened in 1986 to review
Army activities in developing and implementing robotics
and artificial intelligence. The committee considered not
only responses to its 1983 report, but also new issues in
the Army's programs and technical advances since 1983.
The new committee met twice in calendar year 1986 and
visited four sites where members viewed planned or
potential Army applications in action. An update was
given to the committee in early 1987.
The committee believes that the recommendations of its
earlier report are not only still valid, but even more
applicable today. The declining percentage of 19- to
21-year-olds in the population, and the nation's continu-
ing reliance on technologically superior weapons rather
than numerically superior weapons, underscore both the
continuing need and the opportunity for the Army to apply
robotics and artificial intelligence to its operations.
Because those technologies have advanced since the
committee wrote its original report, the Army can draw on
even more industry and university experience.
During the nearly 4 years that have passed, Army
activity An these technologies has increased in quantity
and visibility. While the Army's budget for robotics
(S25 million in FY 1987) and AI (S20 million in FY 1987)
is still much less than its need, Army activities in this
area have acquired momentum. The committee found that at
present, the Army's two greatest needs in implementing AI
and robotics are for increased education at all levels and
for high-level leadership to coordinate and support these
programs. Nonetheless, the Army's progress is reflected
not Only in the specific projects but also in a more
general awareness of the technologies and issues
concerning their use.
Broader issues of program management--including deci-
sions about how long to develop technologies in parallel,
internal vs. external development, and when to build a
prototype--were beyond the scope of this committee. As
the Army's AI and robotics programs continue to grow, such
issues will also grow in importance.
This report summarizes the committee's assessment of
the Army's recent progress in AI and robotics and makes
recommendations that will help the Army exploit these
important technologies. Progress on specific 1983
recommendations is shown in Table 1.
OCR for page 4
4
TABLE 1 Summary of Army Progress in Robotics and AI,
1983-1987
l _
1983 RECOMMENDATION 1987 STATUS
1. Start using available 1. Some progress, but
technology now short-term applications
are still underfunded
2. Start with a few 2. The focus on 3 robotic
short-term applica- projects is responsive
tions that are to this recommendation
likely to succeed and highly commendable
3. Plan for long-term 3. Results are mixed; the
upgrades Advanced Ground Vehicle
Technology has a good
long-term plan but not
a good short-term ver-
sion; the Teleoperated
Mobile Anti-Armor
(TMAP) Program has both
4. Increase visibility of 4. Much progress made in
AI & robotics programs past year
5. Automatic loader of 5. Generic Auto-Loader
ammunition in tanks System is responsive
. to recommendation
6. Surveillance/sentry 6. TMAP development is
robot well under way
7. Intelligent mainte- 7. Hawk Missile
Dance, diagnosis, and Maintenance Tutor
repair system ~ is responsive
Representative terms from entire chapter:
original committee
