Shield AI and Parry Labs Partner to Demonstrate Advanced Autonomy and Open Architecture Edge Compute on the Kratos MQM-178 Firejet

June 13, 2024

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Shield AI, the defense technology company building the world’s best AI pilot, and Parry Labs, an industry leader in deploying digital technologies to the edge, today announced the successful integration of Shield AI’s “Hivemind” AI Pilot on Parry Labs’ Edge Compute Micro (EC Micro). This integration was showcased in a flight where the AI, using only onboard computing, autonomously piloted a Kratos MQM-178 Firejet through several complex maneuvers.

 “This integration with Parry Labs’ EC Micro enhances our ability to rapidly deploy our AI Pilot across various platforms, more efficiently than working with multiple individual companies,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President and Co-Founder. “As autonomy becomes essential across all platforms, the speed of implementing these solutions is crucial and will ultimately define the success of platform providers. Importantly, our AI pilot operates self-contained on the aircraft, setting it apart from today’s remotely piloted aircraft.”

EC Micro, Parry Labs’ smallest form factor to date, represents one of Parry Labs’ family of edge compute solutions built to host a wide variety of software capabilities at the tactical edge. The EC Micro provides an on-platform operating environment combining high density CPU and advanced GPU processing resources for the orchestration of autonomy, navigation, intelligent networking, and AI/ML applications. EC Micro’s small form factor and modularity enables expanded mission capacity and enhanced command and control across a wide range of air and ground platforms.  

“We are thrilled to partner with Shield AI to demonstrate the delivery of autonomous flight technology with our open architecture digital infrastructure,” said John Parkes, CEO of Parry Labs. “This benchmark event combining Shield AI’s Hivemind and the Parry Labs EC Micro on a Kratos aircraft validates the feasibility and necessity of leveraging modular approaches to deliver autonomy solutions at the speed and relevance of technology innovation.”

 This work with Parry Labs enhances the scalability of Shield AI’s technology, demonstrating that the company’s Hivemind AI pilot can be rapidly adapted across a broad range of platforms. This capability is optimized by Parry’s open software and hardware and integration of their compute modules into systems including the MQ-9A Reaper, MQ-1C Gray Eagle, and several other UAS. These integrations enable interfaces with both mission control and autopilot functionalities, streamlining the implementation process and expanding the operational reach of the AI pilot.

Source : Shield AI