This article was written by Jake McLeod. McLeod is the Director of Business Development for Unmanned Ground Vehicles at Persistent Systems. Prior to his current role, he was the Director of Business Development on Persistent’s Integrators Team as a commerical B2B Director. Jake served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy as an Unmanned Aviation Systems Operator for Naval Special Warfare.

Quadruped robots, like Spot, have proven their worth in sectors such as manufacturing, energy, and public safety operations. Equipped with a range of sensors, robots in these industries can provide operators with valuable data to plan their operations and manage risk. However, the potential of these robots to provide similar benefits in military operations is not always acknowledged.

Historically, UAVs and tracked robots have been central to military operations, such as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) environments and explosive ordinance disposal (EOD). In these situations, robots allow operators to respond to these threats with minimal risk to life. However, these systems lack the mobility and agility of quadrupeds. In complex terrain and subterranean environments, quadrupeds like Spot excel, offering advantages that traditional robotic platforms cannot. In a recent conversation with Dr. Kimberly Chamblin, the Director of Government at Boston Dynamics, it became clear that pairing robots with highly reliable network technology can provide critical information to their operators and commanders for faster, more informed decision-making.

Challenges of Non-Networked Robotics

Despite their benefits, robotic systems often impose an additional burden on operators. Most robots come with separate communications systems, enabling an operator to control the robot and view unorganized data. These systems are often isolated from the ones used to communicate with command and team members. As a result, operators must juggle controlling the robot, managing its data, and manually relaying critical information to commanders, creating a “telephone game” effect that can delay decisions and increase risks. 

As data passes through each chain of command, it is analyzed and interpreted, but this process can take time. By the time a decision is relayed back to the operator, the situation on the ground may have changed, increasing risk to the team or the mission. 

To address this, operators, robots, and command centers must be connected on a unified network that allows real-time communication and data sharing, streamlining decision-making and reducing response time.

The Wave Relay Network

This is where Persistent System’s Wave Relay® Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) comes into play. The Wave Relay network is a wireless communications system that connects operators, platforms, and machines to a common network for seamless sharing of video, voice, text, GPS, and other data. With its optimal throughput, mobility, and scalability, the network allows real-time communication, regardless of distance or environmental complexity.

A core component of our technology is Cloud Relay™, a firmware-based capability connecting disparate Wave Relay MANET gateways over any cellular, ethernet, or IP-based internet connection system. This technology allows teams, even when separated by great distances, to stay connected and share information effectively.

In military robotics, any system equipped with the Wave Relay technology can share data simultaneously with the operator, the rest of the tactical team, and command. This instant situational awareness ensures that ground teams can act on critical information immediately.

By integrating the MPU5 radio kit, Persistent’s networking device equipped with the Wave Relay MANET, on Spot, teams introduce a new level of human-machine collaboration, allowing them to focus on the mission rather than managing separate communication systems.

A blue Spot robot labeled Bomb Squad on the landing of a stairway

Demanding Efficiency with Networked Robotics

When networked robots and people work together, they redefine what is possible in military operations.

Consider the earlier example of the telephone game. Instead of going through this long process of data being analyzed multiple times before reaching the commander, the data now becomes accessible information that ground teams can view immediately.

Teams no longer have to wait for the information to reach decision-makers to be analyzed and interpreted for a decision. A shared common network prevents misinterpretation by allowing everyone to see the same information simultaneously. Teams are better informed and can act more quickly and strategically to accomplish the mission effectively and efficiently.  

Unburdening the operator from controlling the robot, interpreting the data, informing their team, and taking action enables them to focus entirely on the mission. This reduces cognitive load and transforms what should be a reliable system into a more effective tool for mission success.

When companies like Boston Dynamics and Persistent Systems come together to address these challenges and find solutions, operators can get ahead.

Future of Networked Robotics

The value of networking robotics goes beyond helping information flow from the operator to the commander; it’s about integrating the robot as part of the team.

While the idea of viewing robots as team members is still relatively novel, these machines complement the team and add value to their mission objective while reducing risk and meeting the commander’s intent.

Together with Boston Dynamics, we aim to broaden the military’s understanding of what is possible with robotic systems. When you have a quadruped that can navigate austere terrain and carry payloads, operators can act faster and accomplish the mission.

During operations, operators will no longer need to manage CBRNE, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and electromagnetic payloads while simultaneously communicating with command. Instead, networked robotics will manage this flow of information, allowing operators to focus on the mission at hand. The future of modern military operations will increasingly rely on human-machine collaboration, where humans and machines work together to efficiently and strategically share and act on information in real-time. Our view of human-machine teaming goes beyond reducing operators’ physical load to deliver refined information quickly to decision-makers, thereby vastly reducing operators’ cognitive load.

About Persistent Systems, LLC

Headquartered in New York City since 2007, Persistent Systems, LLC is a global communications technology company that develops and manufactures a patented and secure Mobile Ad hoc Networking (MANET) system: Wave Relay®. Wave Relay® transmits and receives data, video, voice, and other applications under the most difficult conditions. Their suite of products is utilized in Commercial, Military, Government, Industrial, Robotics, and Unmanned Systems markets.