Researchers creating virtual soldiers

By the Associated Press
The Hawk Eye

 IOWA CITY – Researchers at the University of Iowa are using artificial intelligence programs to create computer simulations of human soldiers to help test the performance of future U.S. Army combat systems.

The five-year, $17.5 million project is designed to help make the Army faster, more efficient and lethal with the integration of more sophisticated weapons systems, university officials said. 

The digital soldiers will help researchers test the impact new machinery and weapons systems could have on real troops, researchers said.

“That’s something the Army is very interested in:  How long a soldier can operate a piece of a mechanical weapons system and stay alert,” said Karim Malek, lead researcher and engineering professor.  “At what point does (a soldier) need a break or a drink of water?”

Calculating the human impact of operating new weapons, equipment or battlefield scenarios on digital humans can help save money and determine sooner whether to the Army should pursue or redesign certain military systems, Malek said.

University researchers have already designed two virtual humans, a male named Tony, and a female named Ella.  Each was designed using artificial intelligence programs that use digitized human anatomical data and mathematical models that can predict human thought and behavior, Malek said. 

“They’ve done this to some degree in the (computer) gaming world, but what we’re using here is real-time simulation,” he said.

The research, which is not classified, will be done by a 25-person team of private and public experts.  The majority will be medical department researchers and engineering faculty, but Malek said he wants to include engineers from Rockwell-Collins, the Cedar Rapids-based company that has a long history of product development with the military. 

It’s one of several projects underway as the Army moves from a Cold War-based strategy to a more sophisticated fighting force that is agile, computer networked and integrated with tools such as unmanned aircraft and robotic ground vehicles. 

“This is the science and research phase of the Army’s transformation strategy to create a lighter, more advanced weapons system that would be required to deploy a whole division anywhere in the world within 36 hours,” Malek said.