Artificial intelligence capable of scanning battlefields for hidden enemy combatants has been trialled by the British Army.

The futuristic military tech, known as SAPIENT, identified potential dangers for soldiers while sensors monitored a mock urban combat environment in Montreal, Canada. The Ministry of Defence says the technology could help reduce human error during combat operations and free up soldiers who normally man live video feeds.

The exercise in Montreal also saw the testing of night vision technology, surveillance systems and other experimental military technologies, such as robotic exoskeleton suits.

The Future of Warfare?

The Government described SAPIENT as a “game-changing technology”, developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

Current in-service technology requires troops to man live feeds from systems similar to CCTV cameras in order to monitor activity during complex urban operations. SAPIENT tech, the MoD said, alleviates the pressure placed on troops. “SAPIENT technology takes that load off the soldier and reduces the risk of human error, as well as reducing troops in the operations room – freeing them up for other military activities.”, the MoD said in a statement. Trialling Tech SAPIENT uses automation and artificial intelligence to ensure that the military personnel are presented with detailed information during high-tensity combat operations, including info on unusual activity – such as people near a checkpoint or erratic behaviour. Some of the sensors were actually carried by the soldiers, whilst others were placed on the ground as troops acted out various scenarios.

The technology was trialled in the Contested Urban Environment experiment (CUE 18) which is the biggest military tech experiment of its kind in recent years. This brings together the Five Eyes allied nations, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the United States, to test the latest cutting-edge tech.

More than 150 government and industry scientists and over 80 Canadian troops took part in the mock exercise.

In addition to AI technology, a number of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles, along with soldier technologies, were used to relay information to an operations centre for analysis by scientists and military personnel.

Planes in the sky above Montreal sent autonomously refined information back to human operators below. The combination of technologies deployed by different nations made it possible to generate data that could be fed to troops and commanders – significantly enhancing situational awareness.

Streets Ahead

Defence Minister Stuart Andrew said the British-made system could prove to be a game-changing advance for UK Military operations.

“This British system can act as an autonomous eye in the urban battlefield,” he said. “This technology can scan streets for enemy movements so troops can be ready for combat with quicker, more reliable information on attackers hiding around the corner.”

Andrew added: “Investing millions in advanced technology like this will give us the edge in future battles. It also puts us in a really strong position to benefit from similar projects run by our allies as we all strive for a more secure world.”

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