US Navy building robotic 'drone battleships' that can launch from the air and sea to protect coast

The US Navy and researchers from Florida Atlantic University have revealed plans to develop autonomous robotic'drone battleships' that can launch underwater and aerial attacks in order to protect US coasts. Last month, FAU was awarded $1.25 million by US Navy for research for unmanned marine vehicle platforms. The five-year project will undertake research in support of autonomous marine vehicle platforms for coastal surveillance, coastal surveys, target tracking and protection of at-sea assets. The US Navy and researchers from Florida Atlantic University are developing'motherships' that can launch aerial and underwater drones to protect the coast'Our focus will be on developing a multi-vehicle system that can safely and reliably navigate coastal waters with a high level of autonomy while performing assigned tasks,' said Manhar Dhanak, director of SeaTech, the Institute for Ocean and Systems Engineering in FAU's Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering. The researchers plan to develop new software to better improve multi-sensors and collision avoidance, as well as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).