140814-N-ZZ999-001 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Aug. 14, 2014) In a screen capture from video, eight unmanned high-speed maneuvering surface targets (HSMSTs) move to their blocking positions during an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored demonstration of autonomous swarmboat technology held on the James River in Newport News, Va.
During the demonstration as many as 13 Navy boats, using an ONR-sponsored system called CARACaS (Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command Sensing), operated autonomously or by remote control during escort, intercept and engage scenarios.