1. Skynet
Sam Gussman (creative generalist), Alvin Goh (hacker), Olga Musayev (project development),
Kevin Mott (project manager)
Mentors/Liasions: Steve Behmer, Ryan Blake, Mike Hard, Jooyong Lee, Wayne Chen, Brian CS
# Interviewed this week: 10 (3 pending)
# interviewed total: 10
Developing autonomous drones for situational
awareness. Helping prevent battlefield fatalities by
pinpointing friendly and enemy positions.
2. Meet the Team
George Tirebiter Ralph Spoilsport Nick Danger
Academic Program
IPS 2017 MS&E 2016 Symbolic Systems 2016 JD 2017
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/
in/kevin-mott-
797931a9?trk=hp-
identity-name
https://www.linkedin.com/
in/chuehsien
https://www.linkedin.com/
in/samuel-gussman-
143b6755
https://www.linkedin.com/in/o
lga-musayev-21a87a28
Subject Matter Expert? Yes
(AD Infantry Officer)
No
(Embedded Systems
Engineer)
No
(UI/UX Design
Software Engineer)
No
(Data Scientist and
Lawyer)
Role Product
Development/Manager
Hacker/ Embedded
Systems Expert
Creative Generalist
+ Designer
Data scientist +
Lawyer
Experience Solving a
Problem that Seemed
Impossible
- Deployed to Afghanistan
as Company Commander
- Developed reward program
for IED turn ins after cash
for IEDs program shut down.
- Hacking android phones
through WiFi to assess risks
of a BYOD program in a
defense organization
- Re-engineered and built
marine cage system to
more easily harvest algae,
decrease biofouling, and
increase survivability in
marine environment.
- Created a tool for tech-
averse publishers to easily
and intuitively explore a
million+ data point analysis of
author similarities
Clark Cable
3. Minimal Viable Product
The DJI Phantom 3
Validating the pain points from the Value
Propositions on our Mission Model Canvas.
Cognitive load
Situational awareness– where is everyone?
Accessing inaccessible areas
4. Customer Discovery
Hypotheses Customer pains revolve around 3 main things:
1) Cognitive overload from many sensory inputs
2) Difficulty establish accurate situational awareness
3) Inability to access areas due to danger or disaster
Customer gains revolve around 3 main things:
1) Enabling reconnaissance in closed space
2) Increased tactical awareness
3) Fast deployment of drones
Experiments Describe key features of our drone, and interviewed people about what their current
pains are, and what improvements they would like to see.
Results Most points of the hypotheses are validated.
Points that were invalidated:
1) Haptic feedback is not recommended, as it is different to sense vibrations while
moving/during combat
2) Video black box may be important, but we might still need another way of
storing high fidelity mission data for future analysis
Actions Test problem solution-fit: can drones alleviate pain and create gain?
5. Mission Model Canvas
- Threat / Friendly detection
using light / sound / motion /
indicator / or marking
-HCI - feedback mechanism
Haptic = bad
familiar = really important
-Making system easy to
use/learn/maintain
- SOF, Rangers, AWG
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Drone manufacturers (ex:
DJI)
- Haptic startups
- Augmented Reality
Visualization Companies (ex:
Google Glass)
- Primary: SOF elements
and Ground Force
Commanders
- Secondary: Command
elements at TOC/TAC
-Tertiary: Search and
Rescue teams
-Enhance situational
awareness - Drone becomes
another set of eyes, frees up
an operator.
-Reduced risk to force-
Drone goes so humans do
not have to
- video recording to facilitate
AARs in training Live video
feed
-Low cost alternative to costly
assets- frees up other assets
in a resource constrained
environment
Minimize new load that
needs to be carried
- Reduces dependence on
human capital
-Improved situational awareness for small units in combat
-Demand across SOF elements and requests for fielding from conventional
units
- Field test with one unit.
Evaluate training method.
- Expand field-tests to
multiple units in same
deployment context
- With successful field tests,
contract COTS vendors to
mass produce.
Fixed:
- Equipment - drones, development toolkits,
- Hapkit: Haptic Starter kit ($50 x 4)
- Software design & engineering
- Augmented reality hardware & software (equivalent of Google Glasses and
relevant developer toolkits)
Variable:
- Costs of maintenance, updates, and training
-Need current methods used to mark
friendly forces
- Rank and file soldiers, unit
leaders, and commanders.
- Support of an automated
threat detection system
- Military engineers to
facilitate integration with
systems
Beneficiaries
Mission AchievementMission Budget/Costs
Buy-In/Support
Deployment
Value PropositionKey Activities
Key Resources
Key Partners
- Drones w/ camera
(provided by SOCOM)
- Augmented Reality
Visualizer with developer
tools
- Access to existing gear and
standard equipment
- Haptic Specialists to act as advisors
- Hapkit
- Drone pilots
- Soldiers / team leaders
6. SkyNetUI: Value Proposition Canvas
- Knowing the locations of
friendly and enemy forces
- Reduced ambiguity
- seeing what you can’t see
from the ground.
Customer
Jobs
Shoot bad
guys without
getting shot
- Cognitive overload from
existing tools
-Manpower losses
SOF Elements
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
-Increased situational awareness on
the battlefield
- Reconnaissance of
inaccessible places
- Reduction of Cognitive Load
through AR interface
- Freeing up another soldier
Products
& Services
Situationally aware
drone with AR
interface
7. SkyNetUI: Value Proposition Canvas
- Real time situational overview
- Drone assisted targeting
- Sensors collect data to
improve soldiers’ training
Products
& Services
Autonomous drone
with real time
video feed
Customer
Jobs
Prepare and
debrief post-
engagement
-Not knowing what’s
going on
- Ambiguity over locations
when coordinating with
units on the ground
Command Elements at TOC/TAC
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
- quickly respond to changing
situations
- ability to effectively target
- Better training
- Relaying combat action
- Unambiguous, reliable
targeting information
8. SkyNetUI: Value Proposition Canvas
Products
& Services
-Drones deploy immediately,
reducing strain on limited
emergency resources (like
helicopters)
-Drones provides immediate aid
(food/water) to trapped individuals
Customer
Jobs
Search and rescue
operations- Not able to access areas
after disasters
-Difficulty operating in tight spaces
- Hazard to human rescuers
Disaster SAR
Gains
Pains
Gain
Creators
Pain
Relievers
-Fast response to disasters
- Fast identification of trapped
and at-risk persons
-Efficient delivery of aid
- Increased agility
- Drones fly quickly through zones
humans can’t go
- using drones in unsafe zones
prevents risking lives of rescuers
Economical, low-cost
search drone fleet