Akula Tech and UNSW are developing a novel framework for deploying heterogeneous drone swarms, supported by funding from Defence Trailblazer. The project aims to enhance defence capabilities by allowing autonomous swarms to respond adaptively to battlefield conditions.
Current drone operations are often limited by centralized control systems, which are inflexible in dynamic and environments. This can lead to suboptimal task allocation and makes the systems vulnerable to failure.
This project, funded by Defence Trailblazer’s Accelerating Sovereign Industrial Capabilities (ASIC) program, aims to overcome these limitations by developing a decentralised coordination framework that allows drones to independently assess tasks and dynamically adjust roles based on real-time operational demands. It will also address the gap in integrating multi-sensor capabilities seamlessly within a drone swarm.
“Having an adaptable framework means ensuring scalable force protection, target acquisition, and surveillance with minimal human risk,” said Nishq Ravindranath, industry project lead at Akula Tech.
The primary end users will be Defence with the potential to be used by emergency response and environmental monitoring organisations.
The research team at UNSW is led by Professor Matt Garratt, Deputy Director (Defence & Security) of the UNSW.ai Institute, and Professor Kathryn Kasmarik. The researchers are developing a modified contract-network algorithm to allow for independent task assessment and dynamic role adjustment, addressing the current limitation of static task allocation algorithms.
“To develop the framework, we are drawing inspiration from swarm intelligence in nature,” said Professor Kasmarik. “We will draw on bird flocking behaviour for drone swarm movement and division of labour in ant colonies for task allocation. This will enable each drone to contribute its specific capabilities to the swarm’s collective operations.”
The project draws inspiration from swarm intelligence to nature to develop a coordination framework. Image: Akula Tech
The project will improve the coordination of existing systems for critical applications such as search and rescue, surveillance, border security, combat operations, and logistics support. The outcomes are directly related to two of the Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities (SDIPs): development and integration of autonomous systems, and enhancement of battlespace awareness and management systems. In addition, the project will support the AUKUS Pillar 2 focus on applying software to improve existing platforms.
Dr Margaret Law, General Manager of Technology Development & Acceleration at Defence Trailblazer, said of the project, “This collaboration will advance existing technologies to provide Defence and other beneficiaries with effective and efficient operational tools.”
For more information, please visit the Akula Tech website.
Title image (left to right): Tim De La Zilwa (Fusion ECS), Preetham Akula (CEO, Akula Tech), Jaspal Sarai (Director, Akula Tech), Nishq Ravindranath (Chief AI Officer, Akula Tech), Shreyas Urunkar (CTO, Akula Tech), Timothy J. (Fusion ECS), & Thabo Mohanakumar (Fusion ECS).
