New technology from FIT to help with pilot training. Pilots will face artificial intelligence in simulated tactical scenarios

New technology developed at the Faculty of Information Technology of the Brno University of Technology will help pilots train air combat tactics. They will face artificial intelligence in simulated aerial combat. The AIDA project was conceived in co-operation between researchers and students from FIT BUT and VR Group, a.s.

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A tactical air force pilot in training takes a seat inside of the simulator's cockpit, the training leader then sets the target and tactics of the sortie - but they are alone in the training centre. Other members of the squadron with whom the pilot communicates using his radio, as well as the opponents, are autonomous agents controlled by artificial intelligence. This artificial intelligence was trained by researchers and students from FIT BUT who, in co-operation with VR Group, developed a series of software tools that will now aid pilots in tactical flight training.

In doing so, the researchers utilised artificial intelligence and voice recognition. This allows the pilots to communicate with other autonomous team members and control them using voice commands. "Our goal was to create the most faithful simulation possible, in which both pilots and artificial intelligence-controlled autonomous agents will behave in an authentic manner. The properties of objects - aircraft, missiles or radars, are also realistic. Only this makes it possible to create an environment in which pilots can effectively learn new habits and train new tactical procedures," explained Peter Chudý, head of FIT BUT research team.

The researchers made use of the fact that aviation terminology as well as aviation itself are governed by a very strict rules and procedures. The data required in order for the artificial intelligence to be truly authentic and behave in a human-like manner was acquired by the researchers from literature but also from playing tactical games. "This is no playing for fun. In order to fly like professionals, they had to study a number of procedures applicable in military aviation and undertake training and examination. Thanks to repeated and educated playing, models were created which were gradually perfected, refined and made more human," added Peter Chudý.

Thanks to this, pilots can refine their behaviour in fulfilling tactical tasks. As a significant portion of communication in aviation takes place over the radio, the project also involved speech recognition. This allows the instructor to control the opponents or the pilot to control the members of his or her squadron. They can even respond and react using speech synthesiser.

The solution was now obtained by VR Group which co-operated in the research and soon plans to use it in its training and simulation systems. Researchers from FIT BUT and VR Group worked on the AIDA project for two years. It was supported by the National Competence Centre for Aeronautics and Space which is funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. The researchers will now follow it by the two-year TOSCA project. This project will train pilots to react to situations in which the opponent uses unusual tactics or make "human" error.

You can take a look at the work of the Aeroworks group on its website.