Air Force Test Counter-Sniper Tech at the base

Air Force Test Counter-Sniper Tech at the base

Air force photo

Washington DC — Even as the US government passes new laws to prevent mass shootings, the Air Force is using a combination of artificial intelligence and drone technology to try to stop active shooters at military facilities.

Developed by Philadelphia-based Zero Eyes, the drone-robot-enabled active shooter defense system overlays the company’s existing AI gun detection software on top of a security camera system at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. It then uses drones or robots to capture the shooter.

“The whole idea behind the platform is to take the robot and ultimately disrupt the installation,” said JT Wilkins, senior vice president of government solutions at the company.

Once deployed in response to a threat, the drone or robotic dog will use sirens, strobes or other non-physical means to distract the shooter.

In 85 percent of cases, a weapon is exposed and visible 2 to 30 minutes after the first shots are fired, Wilkins said. “So the last place we’re going to be able to pull out these sensors and interrupt the robot is when we’re moving from one side of the station to the other side of the squad car.”

Although the system uses AI and drone technology, it is not completely autonomous. “You know every AI throws up false positives, and that’s why we put in a human reviewer to make sure we can mitigate some of them,” he said.

Only after the evaluator has confirmed the threat will the robot trigger the dog or other defensive measures. The system is not designed to replace security personnel, but is a force multiplier, Wilkins added.

The pilot will continue with a $750,000 direct-to-Phase II small business innovation research grant from AFWERX, the service’s technology accelerator, over a 15-month period. ZeroEyes and the Air Force are testing AI gun detection software — without a robotic interception system — at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, under a commercial solutions contract.

ZeroEyes has more than 50 commercial customers, and Wilkins said he expects both government and private sector customers to adopt the robotic dog anti-sniper technology once it’s fully developed and tested.

Topics: Air Force News, Robotics and Autonomous Systems