The Combat Causal Reasoner Approach to Robotic Control

Abstract

This paper describes an approach to autonomous robotic control that enables cooperative, tactically correct robotic behaviors that human teammates understand. For maximum effectiveness, unmanned systems (UMSs) must be able to support dismounted warfighters in high-intensity, high-operational-tempo (OPTEMPO) situations without becoming a source of distraction. Current models of robotic control require overt human tasking, limiting robotics to low OPTEMPO tasks. The Combat Causal Reasoner (CCR) proposes to change the paradigm of UMS autonomy by enabling UMSs to cooperate with humans without expecting the UMS to perceive the environment as a human would. CCR uses a Playbook approach to generate responses that are consistent with warfighter actions. An experiment demonstrated that a CCR-enabled robot measurably increased warfighter effectiveness and resource utilization, with no loss of robot effectiveness when compared to human tele-operation during high-tempo operations.