Angeline Leishman
Artificial intelligence technology developer Shield AI has secured funds from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation program to integrate autonomy tool into military and commercial aircraft platforms.
The Strategic Funding Increase Program award will allow the San Diego-based company to demonstrate the potential of its Hivemind software to support drone swarming and electronic vertical take-off and landing aircraft systems, Shield AI said Thursday.
Hivemind is designed to employ path-planning, mapping, state-estimation and computer vision algorithms to train unmanned systems to autonomously perform tasks in high-threat and highly-degraded environments.
The company looks to further develop its technology in support of Air Force Special Operations Command’s AI for Small Unit Maneuver concept, which calls for military services to deploy drones in highly contested domains.
Shield AI added that it will simulate the integration of the software and ALIA eVTOL aircraft from Beta Technologies, a participant in the Air Force’s Agility Prime initiative.
