DVIDS – News – Innovation Bootcamp: Solving Tomorrow’s Problems Today

OKINAWA, Japan – U.S. Marines with III Marine Expeditionary Force participated in Building Momentum’s Innovation Boot Camp to discover ways to build unmanned service vessels for the primary time at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, from November 27 to December 8, 2023.

 

IBC is a program designed to develop and take a look at distinctive problem-solving abilities that Marines may have in discipline environments. So far, IBC has supplied hands-on coaching to over 6,500 Marines that features 3D printing, computer-aided design, soldering, circuit design, and different helpful talent units that enable them to suppose critically.

Recently, the Marine Corps has expressed curiosity in developed surveillance capabilities. Such capabilities embody small drone boats that may present info, imagery, and even communication talents.  

“Each IBC is assigned a specific request, and this time III MEF specifically requested unmanned service vessels,” Akshta Suresh, Manager of Training for Building Momentum talked about. “The students built service vessels that possessed several important traits. They had to create a vessel that could actually float, was water resistant, had a working GPS, and camera attachments.”

The college students constructed remote-controlled vessels that might be managed from the shore by way of Bluetooth. From there, a Marine can ship the vessel into the ocean with a selected set of coordinates and drop a sensor buoy. The buoy possesses the flexibility to report floor temperatures, humidity ranges, motion sensory, and possessed three separate digicam attachments. The sensors have been in a position to function in each day and evening with clear visibility.

The vessels additionally possessed a retrieving autonomous GPS functionality. This implies that within the occasion the vessel can now not talk with the remote-controller, the vessel already has a pre-set coordinate that it’ll return to. This ensures that even when the vessel disconnects, it’ll nonetheless return to a selected location even with out being linked to the controller.

The capabilities of this technique enable Marines at III MEF to function extra successfully in a littoral working surroundings and through simulated expeditionary superior base operations. They have the potential to be utilized in numerous missions; enhancing III MEF’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities in opposition to all near-peer adversaries.

The college students that participated on this undertaking have been from all totally different backgrounds and possessed numerous navy occupational specialties. Suresh spoke in regards to the degree of expertise wanted from these excited by IBC. 

 

“It doesn’t matter if you know anything about technology,” she talked about. “You can come into IBC with no experience with computers and complete an entire project from the ground up. I have seen students who do not know how to use a laptop come to IBC and complete the course knowing how to code an entire system.”  

IBC is one in all many applications that III MEF participates in to advance their capabilities and operations as a Stand-in-Force. With III MEF situated in a vibrant and dynamic area, the Marines of III MEF proceed to remodel and modernize, remaining prepared, succesful, and postured all through the Indo-Pacific Region.

Retired Gen. David H. Berger, the thirty eighth Commandant of the Marine Corps, beforehand spoke about why these programs will probably be vital in future theaters.

“In the future, unmanned air, ground, sea and undersea vehicles teamed with manned vehicles will be increasingly important for such things as intelligence gathering, weapons platforms, delivery of supplies and even medevac missions.” he stated.