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US Army Opens Recruiting for Robotics Warrant Officer MOS

Monday, May 19th, 2025

Last fall, I mentioned a that US Army Special Operations Command was adapting to the evolving face of warfare by creating a new Military Occupational Specialty. In true SOF fashion, they attacked the problem asymmetrically by adapting a career management field they had control over and using authorities to recruit talent into the warrant officer force. Now, it’s open for applications. If you are into emerging warfighting capabilities, this is the job for you. I’m jealous something like this wasn’t available when I was in.

MOS 390A Robotics Technician

The result is MOS 390A Robotics Technician, intended to enable and provide robotic and autonomous system solutions to tactical problems across all warfighting functions and domains during competition, crisis, and combat operations. The 390A will be assigned to tactical formations at brigade/group-level and above. This new MOS will be the subject matter expert for planning robotics and autonomous systems operations, integrating those operations into broader plans, engineering and fabricating robotic and autonomous system solutions to tactical problems, managing attritable systems and their kinetic and sensor payloads, and delivering those capabilities and effects in support of Soldiers at the tactical edge.

Eligibility:

a. The MOS is open to all enlisted, officer, and warrant officer that are currently serving in Special Operations Forces Units. As there is no requirement for SFQC graduation, I hope to see some enablers applying.

i. Enlisted: Open to all MOS and grades/ranks.

ii. Warrant Officer: Applicants must be a graduate of the Warrant Officer Candidate School and a Warrant Officer Basic Course. Must be a Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2) with a minimum of one-year time in grade or Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3) with no more than one-year time in grade.

iii. Officer: Applicants open to all branches. Officers must be branch qualified.

b. Must meet Army physical fitness and Army Height / Weight standards.

c. Must possess a Secret clearance.

d. Have no derogatory information in their OMPF, a referred NCOER or OER, or pending adverse action.

e. Must be able to complete a 3-year tour following graduation from WOBC.

Packet Submission Deadline is Friday, 1 August 2025

For full information, visit recruiting.army.mil/In-Service-Opportunities/US-Army-Warrant-Officer-Recruiting/Do-I-Qualify/WO-MOS-Feeder-List/39A-Robotics-Technician

Posted in AI / ML, Army, EW, Profession of Arms, Robotics, SOF, TacJobs, UAS | No Comments »

OKSI Intelligent Seeker: 81mm Precision Guidance Kit

Friday, May 2nd, 2025

OKSI’s Precision Guidance Seekers Systems delivery high-confidence acquisition, tracking and terminal guidance – no GPS or laser required. The 81mm Precision Guidance Kit provides first round effects for mortars, providing unmatched effectiveness on today’s battlefield.

OKSI will be at SOF Week hosting customers and business partners on their yacht, showcasing their latest technologies. Get on their meeting schedule to talk low-cost solutions and integration to bring your system Intelligence By OKSI. Contact: solutions@oksi.ai

Posted in Advertiser, AI / ML, Guest Post, weapons | No Comments »

Visit with OKSI at SOF Week

Friday, May 2nd, 2025

Read about their latest, novel technologies and why they have the competitive edge:

GPS-Denied Navigation: oksi.ai/omninav-gps-denied-navigation

Intelligent EO/IR Seekers & Precision Guidance: soldiersystems.net/2025/04/02/elevate-your-precision-oksis-advanced-eo-ir-seekers-and-terminal-guidance

Contact: solutions@oksi.ai to get on our their SOF week meeting calendar

Posted in Advertiser, AI / ML, Guest Post, SOF Week | No Comments »

Palladyne AI and Red Cat Announce Successful Completion of Cross-Platform Collaborative Drone Flight

Thursday, May 1st, 2025

New testing milestone leverages three autonomous heterogeneous drone platforms for the first time

SALT LAKE CITY–Palladyne AI Corp. (NASDAQ: PDYN and PDYNW) (“Palladyne AI”), a developer of artificial intelligence software for robotic platforms in the defense and commercial sectors, and Red Cat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCAT) (“Red Cat”), a drone technology company integrating robotic hardware and software for military, government, and commercial operations, today announced a significant testing milestone in their ongoing collaboration—the completion of an autonomous, cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.

During this most recent testing, which leveraged Red Cat’s Teal 2 and Black Widow drones and the Palladyne™ Pilot AI software, each platform operated using onboard edge computing and constrained communication protocols without reliance on centralized infrastructure to communicate. The system enabled real-time, distributed detection and tracking of multiple dynamic and static ground objects—including humans and vehicles—in different regions of interest, providing a single operator with comprehensive situational awareness. The two companies previously announced a successful two-drone flight operation in January 2025, and Palladyne AI announced a single-drone testing scenario in December 2024 to autonomously identify, prioritize, and track terrestrial targets.

“This new testing milestone represents significant progress in our joint mission with Red Cat to enable multi-drone interoperability and autonomous collaboration for the defense sector,” said Matt Vogt, Chief Revenue Officer, Palladyne AI. “We are proud to have successfully completed this three-drone flight and believe our joint, cross-platform, autonomous solution will be a game changer for U.S. military personnel and drone operators. With this major step forward, we are excited about what Palladyne Pilot will bring to our government and defense customers as well as to our target non-defense civil customer base.”

“Successfully expanding from single to three-drone operations reflects not only the reliability of our drones and Palladyne’s AI software, but also the capability of onboard systems to independently handle complex missions,” said Geoff Hitchcock, Chief Revenue Officer of Red Cat. “For warfighters, this provides greater situational awareness while requiring fewer operators in the field to manage multiple assets. This latest test is a meaningful step toward making multiple, collaborative autonomous systems more practical and effective in real-world defense scenarios.”

The Palladyne Pilot software is commercially available. For more information, please visit www.palladyneai.com/pilot.

Posted in AI / ML, Press Release, UAS | No Comments »

Veritone Achieves “Awardable” Status on DoD’s Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace with AI-Powered Investigate Solution

Friday, April 18th, 2025

Investigate joins existing Veritone solutions on the DoD’s premier AI procurement marketplace to complete the availability of the iDEMS suite

DENVER –– April 17, 2025 –– Veritone, Inc. (NASDAQ: VERI), a leader in building human-centered enterprise AI solutions, today announced that it has achieved “Awardable” status through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office’s (CDAO) Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace. Veritone’s Investigate solution has been added to the Tradewinds Marketplace.

The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace is the premiere offering of Tradewinds, the Department of Defense’s suite of tools and services designed to accelerate the procurement and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), data and analytics capabilities from organizations, including Veritone.

Investigate is an open architecture evidence management system that ingests large datasets from an expansive partner ecosystem, including but not limited to:

Device extraction tools

Home security systems

Drones and unmanned aircrafts

Body and in-car cameras

Video management systems

Investigations and forensics solutions

Gunfire detection systems

Gun crime intelligence systems

License plate readers

Secure data link protocol providers

e-Discovery platforms

Freedom Of Information Act (“FOIA”) solutions

Hyperscaler’s cloud storage platforms

Once the data is ingested, it’s processed using AI, then indexed, transformed, correlated and analyzed to provide near real-time actionable insights and a holistic view of any investigation, reducing the high-volume, time-consuming work many public sector employees spend significant amounts of time completing. By focusing on more critical work, organizations are better positioned to increase case clearance rates and the number of crimes solved.

“While the availability of evidentiary data is an advantage, it also presents significant challenges for investigators who spend countless hours collecting, organizing and reviewing evidence,” said Ryan Steelberg, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Veritone. “Achieving ‘Awardable’ status for Investigate accelerates the availability of our iDEMS solution and empowers our customers to improve case clearance rates and deliver justice more efficiently.”

Investigate joins an existing suite of Veritone solutions on Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, including Illuminate, IDentify, Track and Redact, completing Veritone’s Intelligent Digital Evidence Management System (iDEMS). Purpose-built for the public sector, Veritone iDEMS leverages AI to help public safety agencies solve more crimes and bring higher levels of safety and trust to their communities by streamlining the management and analysis of digital evidence, including audio and video data, quickly and accurately.

iDEMS is built on Veritone’s aiWARE TM platform and can be leveraged by DoD customers within their public cloud tenant or in their secure data center. aiWARE is an AI operating system that intelligently and securely orchestrates hundreds of best-of-breed cognitive and generative models in a single solution to transform extensive volumes of unstructured data, including video and audio, into actionable insights.

To learn more about Veritone’s public sector solutions, visit: www.veritone.com/solutions/public-sector

Posted in AI / ML, Contracts, Press Release | No Comments »

Army Advances Research in Robotics, AI and Autonomy

Friday, April 18th, 2025

ADELPHI, Md. — In recognition of National Robotics Week, U.S. Army researchers highlight some of their groundbreaking work aimed at advancing the future of human-machine integration for the battlefield.

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, known as DEVCOM ARL, robotics research spans across ground and air autonomous systems, and energy systems, that support future mobility and maneuverability of these systems. ARL robotics researchers partner with industry, government and academia to help protect and support the Soldier.

One example of a recent ARL breakthrough is integrating generative artificial intelligence with robotics for battle damage assessment operations. ARL robots are now capable of understanding and responding to natural language, offering the Soldier human-like interactions.

“We are bridging the gap between humans and robots, making them more intuitive, responsive, and, ultimately, more useful for the Soldier,” said Phil Osteen, a lead researcher for the Artificial Intelligence for Maneuver and Mobility, or AIMM program. “ARL researchers have demonstrated an interactive bi-directional communication system that enables real-time exchanges between humans and robots.”

By interacting with Soldiers using natural language, robots can better communicate battlefield observations such as damage assessments and mission execution reports, enhancing battlefield operations.

The AIMM program is also focused on advancing autonomous off-road mobility, human-guided machine learning, and tactical behaviors that go beyond simple point-to-point movement. Army operations are complex, requiring considerations such as cover, concealment, mission considerations and formation controls, according to Udam Silva, AIMM program manager.

“We’ve made significant progress in off-road mobility,” Silva said. “We can now autonomously navigate through dense vegetation at operational speeds.”

ARL researchers also leverage external collaboration. In a research effort under AIMM, robotics researchers collaborate with an industry partner, Overland AI, on dual-use hardware and software solutions for ground autonomy, enabling vehicles to navigate challenging natural terrain autonomously at operationally relevant speeds.

In a separate ARL autonomous program, Human Autonomy Teaming, or HAT, is creating a cutting-edge toolkit of a suite of technologies that enable continuous mission planning, execution and review process between humans and autonomous systems, offering a more honest assessment. This iterative, or continuous assessment is a way of shortening that cycle, so Soldiers can determine when their autonomous systems deviate and why.

“This gives Soldiers the tools to correct robots’ behaviors using techniques such as human-guided machine learning developed by multiple ARL programs,” said Dr. Brandon Perelman, HAT program manager.

The HAT program is ensuring the U.S. Army’s software is continually refined to counter adversaries’ adaptations, according to Perelman.

According to Perelman, the software being developed is compatible with multiple interfaces, so mission plans can go into any equipped vehicle. It has a data synchronization and re-streaming package so different data streams can line up, while also looking at video feeds and positions, navigation and timing data from a robot for a fuller view of a complex situation such as encountered on the battlefield.

The HAT program informs future research aimed to expand vertically to higher, larger echelons in the Army chain of command as well as horizontally, across warfighting functions, to include multiple domains such as mount-dismount coordination, and ground-air teaming.

These examples represent some of ARL’s transformative robotics work that span multiple critical domains, designed to enhance military capabilities and ensure technological superiority.

By U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs

Posted in AI / ML, Army, Guest Post, Robotics | No Comments »

Scout AI Emerges from Stealth with $15M Seed Round, Lands 2 DoD Contracts, and Unveils Fury – Robotic Foundation Model for Defense

Thursday, April 17th, 2025

SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 16, 2025 — Scout AI Inc. (“Scout”) today announced its emergence from stealth mode with a bold mission: to build the AGI brain for defense robotics. The company also unveiled an oversubscribed $15 million seed round led by Align Ventures and Booz Allen Ventures, and revealed it has been selected for multiple Department of Defense (DoD) contracts.

Founded in August 2024 by Colby Adcock and Collin Otis, Scout brings together deep experience at the intersection of AI, robotics, and defense. CEO Colby Adcock is a former tech private equity executive and current board member at humanoid robotics company Figure AI. CTO Collin Otis is a serial entrepreneur who previously was a founding engineer and Director of Autonomy and AI at Kodiak Robotics and Head of Data Science and Chief of Staff at Uber ATG. He has built autonomy systems from the ground up for both commercial and military platforms and previously sold a venture-backed startup to Target.

At the core of Scout’s breakthrough is Fury, a defense-specific Vision-Language-Action (VLA) foundation model engineered to transform every defense robot into an intelligent, autonomous agent. Unlike traditional robotics software, Fury is an embodied AI system — capable of perceiving the physical world, interpreting natural language, and issuing real-time motor commands to act decisively even in communication and GPS-denied environments.

“Achieving warfighter-level versatility in robotic systems requires grounding AI in physical reality,” said Otis. “By training our system on human-level behavior we make our AI embodied. Fury develops the kind of intelligence warfighters naturally have — situational, physical, and adaptive.”

What sets Fury apart from conventional language models is its ability to perceive, reason, and act across multiple modalities. It doesn’t just output text — it commands machines. Trained on large-scale real-world data, Fury brings multimodal reasoning and precision control to a wide spectrum of uncrewed systems: ground, air, sea, and space. It can be directed via natural language or fine-tuned for specific mission profiles, delivering human-like autonomy at machine scale.

Scout’s first two prototypes — the G01 unmanned ground vehicle and A01 unmanned aerial vehicle — are already operating autonomously powered by Fury at the company’s proving grounds in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“Physical AI is the most decisive military advantage of the century,” said Adcock. “Our vision is one warfighter commanding many robots — seamlessly integrated into a unified team. That level of human-machine integration requires an AI brain like Fury that understands commander intent and can think, move, and collaborate like seasoned operators. That’s how we achieve true force multiplication.”

Scout is proudly planting its flag in Silicon Valley, building its team in Sunnyvale and pulling top AI and autonomy talent from the self-driving, big tech, and defense worlds to tackle this critical mission. “We’re bringing in the world’s best engineers to work on the world’s most important frontier — making sure this AI is built securely and responsibly for the good guys,” said Adcock. “Our adversaries are already building it. We must develop this technology and outpace them — and ensure the U.S. leads the future of intelligent defense systems.”

Scout is also taking a partnership-driven approach. Its Fury system is designed to be lightweight, modular, and hardware-agnostic — running on as little as a single commercial off-the-shelf camera and low-power inference chip, enabling rapid integration into existing and emerging robotic hardware systems. A growing list of robotics companies are partnering with Scout to embed Fury into their platforms, unlocking advanced autonomy without overhauling their hardware. Industry partners looking to learn more can reach out directly via partnerships@scoutco.ai.

“Our system is designed to make existing platforms intelligent, and we’re excited to be working with partners across the defense ecosystem to bring that capability to scale,” noted Otis.

Scout closed on its $15 million seed round, led by Align Ventures and Booz Allen Ventures, with participation from Draper Associates, Decisive Point Ventures, Perot Jain, Sigmas Group, Evolution VC, BVVC, Habitat Partners, Piedmont Capital Investments, FJ Labs, Revelry Venture Partners, Monte Carlo Capital, Expansion VC, and Gaingels.

To learn more, visit scoutco.ai.

Posted in AI / ML, Contracts, Industry, Press Release, Robotics | 1 Comment »

Army Launches xTechOverwatch Competition to Advance Autonomous Capabilities

Tuesday, April 15th, 2025

WASHINGTON — On April 2, 2025, the U.S. Army xTech Program launched xTechOverwatch to advance military capabilities in autonomous air and ground vehicles. This competition directly addresses critical Army requirements by partnering with small businesses developing artificial intelligence and sensor technologies. Participants can earn $35,000 in cash prizes and pursue follow-on Army Small Business Innovation Research contract awards.

How it Works

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, in partnership with Army Futures Command, launched the xTechOverwatch competition to identify innovative solutions for advanced autonomous unmanned systems, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles and sensor networks. The Army plans to select up to 40 finalists, awarding each a $15,000 cash prize and providing them an opportunity to showcase their solutions to Army and Department of Defense experts during a live demonstration at the Army Human Machine Integration Summit in October 2025.

During the demonstration, government stakeholders will assess the participants’ technological capabilities, solution maturity and potential contributions to identify the most promising advancements. In August 2025, finalists will also attend a Collider event designed to facilitate high-impact networking, knowledge-sharing and strategic partnerships with industry leaders and peers.

Following the final pitch demonstrations, the Army will select up to 20 winners, awarding each a $20,000 cash prize and offering each firm the opportunity to submit a Direct to Phase II Army SBIR proposal through the Army SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer Program. Valued at up to $2 million per proposal, these submissions could secure up to $40 million in funding to help businesses transition innovations from prototypes to practical applications. Through this initiative, the Army aims to deliver advanced technologies to Soldiers, enhance operational efficiency, safety and effectiveness, and foster relationships with key Army and DoD representatives that empower participants to grow their businesses.

Competition Timeline

Concept White Paper Submission:Between April 2 and May 21, 2025, businesses may submit short concept white papers outlining technology alignments, their solutions’ advantages and impact, technical approaches and commercial potential.

Collider Event: In August 2025, AFC will host a Collider event at Fed Supernova, a unique forum designed to foster collaboration between xTechOverwatch finalists and technology integrators to pitch innovative, dual-use solutions that can address the Army’s current and future needs.

Final Pitch Demonstration Event: In October 2025, finalists will pitch and demonstrate their innovative technology solutions to a panel of Army and DoD experts.

Follow-On SBIR Opportunities: From Nov. 15-25, 2025, up to 20 xTechOverwatch winners may submit a Direct to Phase II Army SBIR proposal.

Eligibility Requirements

To participate in xTechOverwatch, vendors must be for-profit businesses operating in the U.S. that adhere to 13 C.F.R. § 121.702. Over 50% of the equity must be held by U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or other for-profit small businesses with no more than 500 employees, including affiliates.

Proposals must be fresh and unique, distinct from any that have received funding, are currently funded, or have pending funding from other federal agencies. If there is any uncertainty about this, vendors should visit the xTechOverwatch Competition Request for Information for further details and to ensure their innovative solutions are eligible for submission to this competition.

About the Army xTech Program

Established in 2018, the Army xTech Program offers participants unparalleled exposure to Army laboratories, program executive offices, and program managers. Participants receive valuable feedback from Army DoD stakeholders and gain access to training, mentorship, and networking opportunities, aligning their solutions with Army needs. The xTech Program hosts several competitions annually, including open-topic competitions like xTechSearch and technology-specific competitions addressing critical Army requirements.

About the Army SBIR|STTR Program

Army SBIR actively releases funding opportunities, including Phase I funding for commercially viable, feasible, and technically sound solutions. Firms with mature technologies that meet Phase I requirements can progress to Phase II or begin directly with Direct to Phase II contracts. Army experts in technical, acquisition, and operational fields guide businesses to align their innovations with the Army’s critical needs throughout the process.

Army STTR integrates small businesses into the Army innovation ecosystem by coordinating with universities, federally funded research and development centers, or qualified non-profit research institutions. Small businesses serve as prime contractors, performing at least 40% of the work, while research partners complete at least 30%.

ASA(ALT) leverages innovative technologies to give Soldiers a decisive advantage in any environment by developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the world’s finest equipment and services. For more information, visit the ASA(ALT) web page and follow @ArmyASAALT.

Stay Updated

For more information, subscribe to email updates, explore the Army xTech Program website, or follow us on YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn. For inquiries, please contact the xTech Program mailbox.

By Daniel Smoot, Office of Army Innovation Programs, including xTech and the Army SBIR|STTR Program

Posted in AI / ML, Army, Contracts, Guest Post | No Comments »