UKDI Competition: Novel Autonomy & Robotics

A UKDI competition to develop early-stage disruptive science and technology for future game-changing advances in Defence robotics and autonomous systems.

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) – formerly the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) – is part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). UKDI funds research that offers a high potential benefit to defence and security in the UK and which thereby supports UK economic growth and prosperity.

This UKDI competition is run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)‘s Autonomy Programme Incubator project. It seeks proposals that develop early-stage novel and disruptive science and technology (S&T) that may give rise to future game-changing advances in Defence Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS). The aim is to find cutting-edge low-technology readiness level (TRL) S&T ideas – starting at TRL 1 or 2 and moving through at least one TRL level during the project – that may be matured to support military use of autonomous systems across land, sea and air environments. Projects with a high risk of failure are acceptable.

Areas of S&T that may be addressed are broad, but ideas must be novel and have the potential to be applicable in some form to improving future RAS capability. As guidance – ideas may lead to (but are not restricted to) improved:

• Physical robotics aspects (eg propulsion, power storage, sensors, structural components, communications, actuators, effectors and overall design paradigms).
• Methods of managing, integrating and using information from different sources (giving rise to eg improved navigation, increased ability to function when information sources conflict, better discrimination of objects in the environment, improved ability to operate in non-benign conditions, improved efficiency/range).
• High level autonomous behaviours/system intelligence.
• Wider interactions (eg system of systems coordination, human-machine interaction, swarming).
• System survivability (eg improved ruggedness, resilience to attack, stealthiness, graceful degradation).

This competition is for two phases of work. Project Phase 1 is an initial proof of concept and must be completed within three months. Project Phase 2 will be open to those successful in Project Phase 1 and may lead to a task to further develop an idea or concept, at the discretion of MOD. Proof of Concept is defined as ideas that demonstrate that a novel idea is technically feasible; produce early experimental evidence; and do not need to deliver prototypes or systems.