Futures Lab - Cutting edge technologies and research influencing Defence

Robot dogs for bomb disposal

Dstl have trialled the use of robotic dogs to detect and dispose of bombs. By increasing the tasks able to be conducted remotely such as opening doors and climbing stairs, and allowing precision movements to be completed reliably, the robots could increase operational effectiveness.

Traditional, wheeled bomb disposal robots lack the agility demonstrated by robotic dogs. If adopted into service, they could increase operator safety.

?

DeepSeek large language model

Dominating headlines in late January and February was the release of a large language model (LLM) from China: DeepSeek. This was notable as the DeepSeek model achieved its success with a fraction of the vast computational power associated with other LLMs. DeepSeek reduced the training time for their model by a factor of 10 (compared with Llama) and did so on inferior GPU chips due to a US export ban. Despite this, DeepSeek performance suggests it is on par with the latest models from OpenAI (ChatGPT 4o) and Google (Gemini).

DeepSeek uses an approach called Mixture of Experts (MOE) – essentially multiple AI models within the overall model. This approach can be challenging to implement, though DeepSeek seems to have solved that problem and the model’s answers are more explainable than other LLMs. DeepSeek has also been open with its research approaches and findings, publishing reports publicly to GitHub.

However, DeepSeek is not without detractors. The EU sent requests to DeepSeek over concerns about GDPR violations, with some countries (such as Italy and South Korea) banning DeepSeek from app stores. Others have suggested the success was due to the distillation of other models and use of their training data, though the legitimacy of these concerns is yet to be proven.

Should the technical approach of DeepSeek be validated, exponentially reducing the time and computational power (along with associated energy requirements) needed to train an LLM is a significant development. Though its Chinese origins will influence political debate, this approach should be considered for applications needing to reducing training time and expense.

?

Non-terrestrial network access in Europe

Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are mobile telephone base stations in orbit which connect directly to a mobile handset. Following the NTN service announcement from New Zealand mobile provider OneNZ, Vodafone has announced commercial NTN services in late 2025. A recent successful trial call was placed between rural Wales and Newbury, with Vodafone also announcing a satellite connectivity test facility. Located in Spain, it is a collaboration with the University of Malaga and AST SpaceMobile, with other developers invited to join.

The anticipated increase in coverage and commercial availability of NTNs offers an excellent opportunity for forces deployed to remote locations on land and sea to access reliable, high bandwidth communications without the need for expensive, bespoke solutions. It may also allow the near real-time tracking of cargo through global internet-of-things connectivity.

?

Increasing lifespan of EV batteries

A study published in Nature Energy suggests electric vehicle batteries could last 38 percent longer than previous laboratory estimates. The accepted practice of battery life analysis uses constant current discharge cycles. However, acceleration, cruising and braking across urban and motorway driving places dynamic demands on battery current draws – with oscillations, pulses, and rests.

This is positive news for consumers for potential battery longevity. Increased battery longevity may also be a factor in the adoption of battlefield electrification technologies.

?

Silicon wafer lasers

Researchers from Belgium have demonstrated a cost-effective way of manufacturing lasers directly onto standard silicon wafers. Current approaches result in material waste or warping due to misalignment of crystal structures. By creating microscopic furrows in the surface of the silicon, light emitting crystals can be deposited there, mitigating these effects. Further material layers are then deposited to create the laser.

If this new method can be successfully commercialised, the cost of photonic circuits could be significantly reduced, creating new laser applications.

?

Defeating drones with sound waves

A Canadian start-up, Prandtl Dynamics, has produced a soft-kill counter drone system using ultrasonic waves. Sound waves matching a material’s resonant frequency induces vibrations which can be sufficient to destabilise gyroscopes, causing the drone to crash. A narrow acoustic beam is a low collateral damage approach that could be effective up to 100m.

Prandtl Dynamics placed second in a Canadian national defence counter drone competition in 2024. As evidence from the conflict in Ukraine shows the tactical necessity of counter drone defences, this acoustic approach is definitely worthy of further development.

?

Drone swarm control

L3Harris has announced AMPHOROUS (Autonomous Multi-domain Operations Resiliency Platform for Heterogeneous Unmanned Swarms) – software able to control drone swarms. AMPHOROUS is an open architecture able to integrate different platforms, payloads and systems, claiming to simultaneously operate ‘hundreds – or even thousands’ of autonomous assets.

The L3Harris product enters a market with other competitors, such as Blue Bear (part of Dstl’s ‘Many Drones Mike Light Work’ project) and Airbus who recently demonstrated multi-drone control in Czechia. As the use of drones on the battlefield increases, so too will the demand for autonomy and the ability for one operator to control swarms of drones.

?

Chip-sized gyroscopes

Two new gyroscope-on-a-chip products have hit the market this year. Using the Sagnac effect, solid-state gyroscopes measure light paths to measure changes in position. While optical gyroscopes have existed for 50 years, reducing their size has been challenging, especially mitigating the increased signal-to-noise ratio this induces. As inertial measurement units they won’t replace GPS, rather augment navigation information and taking navigation primacy if GPS is detected to be jammed or spoofed.

The much-reduced size and power requirements of these new gyroscope products opens up their use as inertial measurement units in drones and other military systems where space and power are at a premium.

?

Follow Futures Lab on LinkedIn to keep up to date with our latest news.