<title>AvantGuard: exploring the distribution of autonomy</title>

Abstract

Every war introduces a new round of tactics and technologies. Our present war might be characterized as a confrontation between the Suicide Bomber and the Unmanned Air Vehicle.AvantGuard 1 models this confrontation and exposes it to study. It is a computer game in which UAVs are used to protect a convoy in hostile urban terrain. Adversaries hide among the residents and prepare an ambush. The operator directs small UAVs and studies the resulting sensor stream. He must find the ambush before the convoy arrives.AvantGuard serves those who seek to improve the effectiveness of the UAV mission. It is an instrument with which researchers can measure performance as they develop new systems.AvantGuard is particularly designed to study the interplay of human supervisor and autonomous UAVs. Its cognitive challenges are organized into distinct tasks. For each task, the autonomy level of the UAV is set independently. Calibrated to established standards, results are easily compared to one another and to the findings of other researchers.By addressing real-world problems, such as battlefield constraints on bandwidth and the limits of machine vision, AvantGuard presents a credible approach to mission simulation, training and eventual execution. By employing sophisticated game techniques, AvantGuard advances an innovative design. By considering the post-combat role of the military, it prepares an instrument to advance the goals of peace as well as those of war.