Innovations & technologies

Lockheed Martin Investing in Autonomy, Manned-Unmanned Teaming Technology

As advancements in autonomy come to fruition, manned/unmanned teaming between humans and advanced robots will play a key role in the future of warfare, Lockheed Martin executives and researchers said March 15.

There is “often a misconception that autonomy … means taking power away from a human. Here at Lockheed Martin we take the exact opposite approach. It’s about enabling the human to do what the human really does best,” said Bartlett Russell, senior research scientist for human systems optimization at Lockheed’s Advanced Technology Laboratories. “Ultimately the human is our best asset in the field, our most adaptable asset in the field.”

Lockheed is working on technology such as cognitive exoskeletons that can monitor and sense the state of a human and subsequently augment performance, she said during a briefing at Lockheed Martin’s annual media day in Arlington, Virginia.