Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council funds AI-driven drone swarm for maritime security

The Ocean Affairs Council announced funding for a National Cheng Kung University team to build an intelligent coordination system for maritime drones. Led by associate professor Chueh Chih-che, the researchers are merging artificial intelligence, multi-agent reinforcement learning and swarm control to enable autonomous route planning and obstacle avoidance. Simulations have already demonstrated synchronized flights of two drone groups, totaling twenty units, with a control algorithm that enforces a 100-foot vertical gap to prevent collisions.

Upcoming phases include hardware-in-the-loop validation, prototype integration and live flight testing under varied sea conditions. The effort focuses on the JUMP 20, V-BAT and Flexrotor drone models, using 3D modeling and six-degrees-of-freedom simulations to develop flight and control models. Officials say the technology will enhance both maritime defense and search-and-rescue operations, contributing to greater societal resilience.