An unmanned boat motors toward a beach and drops off an armed robot, which then walks itself toward a target. It sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie, but Ukraine tested this high-tech combat tactic in mid-July on a Russian-occupied spit of land, marking the first-ever robotic amphibious beach assault.

What does that mean for the future of drone and robotic warfare? Virginia Tech aerospace and ocean engineering experts Craig Woolsey and Mingi Jeong share takeaways about the importance of autonomous research and workforce development in national security.

We’re seeing new kinds of interconnected robots

“What makes this example in Ukraine unique is not simply that an uncrewed boat reached its destination, but that it deployed a different type of robotic system to perform a follow-on task,” Jeong said. 

“As the technology evolves, we will likely see increasingly capable teams of heterogeneous robots combining aerial, surface, underwater, and ground platforms,” he added. “Because of that, field reliability, cybersecurity, and trustworthy decision-making will become increasingly important.”

Autonomous sea transportation is on the rise

“More than 80 percent of global trade by volume is transported by sea, and autonomous technologies could contribute to safer and more efficient maritime transportation,” Jeong said. “Robotic capabilities can also support environmental monitoring, ecosystem assessment, infrastructure inspection, aquaculture, oil-spill response, search-and-rescue missions, and more.”

Autonomous technologies will be everywhere

Woolsey said the evolution of autonomous vehicles is happening quickly and across domains.

The biggest advances aren't just in robotics,” he said. “They're coming from improvements in batteries, computing, sensors, cameras, and communications, largely driven by consumer electronics. Together, those technologies are making autonomous systems far more capable than they were even a decade ago." 

Woolsey added, “Virginia Tech is focused on the boundaries between air, land, sea, and space, which is where the hardest engineering problems exist.”

Both experts said it will be important to train the future workforce to understand the applications of these technologies while doing so ethically and responsibly. 

“Virginia Tech students don't just learn engineering,” Woolsey said. “They learn to solve problems for society. That mindset is urgently needed as autonomous technologies continue to evolve.”


About Jeong

Jeong is an assistant professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. His research expertise focuses on marine robots, full stack autonomy, autonomous navigation, multi-robot systems, in-water obstacle detection and tracking, obstacle avoidance, and more. In addition, Jeong has industry expertise and served on ocean-going commercial vessels for five years, rising to chief officer in Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. Ltd. under the connected service with the Korean Navy.

About Woolsey

Woolsey is a professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. His research expertise includes nonlinear dynamics and control of ocean and atmospheric vehicles. Applications include vehicle autonomy for uncrewed aircraft, uncrewed surface vessels, and uncrewed underwater vehicles.

Interview

To schedule an interview with Jeong or Jones about autonomy and robotics at Virginia Tech, email mediarelations@vt.edu.

 

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