Files
Abstract
Standards of artificial intelligence have evolved rapidly with technology over time and today autonomous
systems are expected to collaborate in more and more complex environments, such as in the field of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs). ASVs have a requirement to operate safely in dynamically changing surroundings and interact with humans. This requires a certain level of consciousness. For the purpose of this paper, consciousness is defined as 'the state of being aware of and responsive to one's surroundings'. In order to obtain consciousness, an autonomous system must climb the knowledge pyramid of data science in real time. That is to say it must:
- Ingest (potentially huge amounts of) data from diverse sources which may contain different types of
information in different formats.
- Convert each set of data into useful information about the surrounding environment and filter out noise.
- Combine this data to generate situational awareness.
- Convert this situational awareness into wisdom to evaluate the best course of action.
With over 20 years’ L3Harris Technologies, Inc. understands the human-machine relationship intimately. With over 2000 days of on water testing the team has experienced first-hand how readily operators trust machines, as can be seen all around in everyday life. It is imperative to match this trust with trust-worthiness and in autonomous systems, this can only be achieved with consciousness. L3Harris’ autonomous control system, has been tested in a range of environments: missions have been conducted in daytime and night time, calm and rough seas, open water locations and busy ports with dense traffic. Each setting poses its own challenges, and autonomous systems are required to be consistently reliable. Recent advancements in technology have increased the level of consciousness achievable in systems operating today. This paper discusses the evolution of technology that has made increasing levels of consciousness achievable today and the implications on human-machine interaction, drawing on examples from L3Harris’ experience.
systems are expected to collaborate in more and more complex environments, such as in the field of Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs). ASVs have a requirement to operate safely in dynamically changing surroundings and interact with humans. This requires a certain level of consciousness. For the purpose of this paper, consciousness is defined as 'the state of being aware of and responsive to one's surroundings'. In order to obtain consciousness, an autonomous system must climb the knowledge pyramid of data science in real time. That is to say it must:
- Ingest (potentially huge amounts of) data from diverse sources which may contain different types of
information in different formats.
- Convert each set of data into useful information about the surrounding environment and filter out noise.
- Combine this data to generate situational awareness.
- Convert this situational awareness into wisdom to evaluate the best course of action.
With over 20 years’ L3Harris Technologies, Inc. understands the human-machine relationship intimately. With over 2000 days of on water testing the team has experienced first-hand how readily operators trust machines, as can be seen all around in everyday life. It is imperative to match this trust with trust-worthiness and in autonomous systems, this can only be achieved with consciousness. L3Harris’ autonomous control system, has been tested in a range of environments: missions have been conducted in daytime and night time, calm and rough seas, open water locations and busy ports with dense traffic. Each setting poses its own challenges, and autonomous systems are required to be consistently reliable. Recent advancements in technology have increased the level of consciousness achievable in systems operating today. This paper discusses the evolution of technology that has made increasing levels of consciousness achievable today and the implications on human-machine interaction, drawing on examples from L3Harris’ experience.