Swarm Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2020
DRONE SWARMING TECHNOLOGY
Drone swarming technology is accelerating, with a number of countries developing swarming capabilities - UK, USA, China, Turkey, Israel, Australia and others.
A drone swarm is a group of drones, also called robotic systems. Swarms of robots can be land, sea or sky-based. I am particularly interested in airborne drone swarms.
A drone swarm operates through collective functionality, operating as a unit and enabled by wireless signal connections between the drones. An airborne drone swarm effectively becomes a flying signal-net, enabling some autonomous functionality by reducing reliance, during a mission, on external signalling. A drone swarm can also become a weapon, deployed as a kamakazi swarm upon target identification. Drone swarming stealth capabilities, reduced vulnerability to electronic warfare [eg: jamming and hacking], autonomous functionality, and resilience to attack [if one drone is ‘taken out’, the swarm re-calibrates and continues on its mission] are attractive capabilities for military forces, and potentially also for security and policing activities. Clearly, this technology would also have appealing applications for state and non-state aberrant actors.
SIGNALS
In many of my paintings I expose signals by painting lines between drones and auxiliary infrastructure, such as ground control stations, other airborne assets and satellites. I also expose signals by painting lines that indicate a drone’s surveillance arc, signals the feed data into the robotic system. This data can assist the drone swarm with functions such geo-locating and target identification, at the same time as building upon existing data to augment functionality.
SWARM
In Swarm (above) I have painted a swarm of domestic drones and indications of their surveillance arcs. I have chosen domestic drones to alert to the potential militarisation of civilian technologies. That non-state groups, for example in the Middle East, have conscripted and modified civilian drones for nefarious purposes raises concerns.
I have painted the drones white. This gives the impression of some kind of fake cloud. I am interested in the way technology occupies landscape. Here, also, the visualising of signals exposes the way normally invisible signals occupy landscape and environment.
ONLINE EXHIBITION
Over the last five years I have created a number of paintings that address drone swarming technology. This online exhibition includes seven paintings. Please click on hyperlinked titles to read more about each painting.
Small Selection of Articles of Interest:
I recommend you also do your own searching.
Swarming Drones: The Future of Warfare AFR by James Brown September 2019
China Is Hard At Work Developing Swarms Of Small Drones With Big Military Applications The Drive: Warzone by Joseph Trevithick 2018
Mini Drones and Their Potential in Conflict Zones by Mark Lehto conference paper March 2020Kargu - The Kamikaze Drones Getting Ready For The Swarm Operation Youtube promotional video by Turkish company Kargu.Autonomous suicide drones the latest threat facing Australian soldiers, expert warns ABC, by Dan Conifer, August 2019.
Drone Show Oil on linen 122 x 152 cm 2020
Swarm Surveillance Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2016
Drone Clouds Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2016
Droned Landscape Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2016
Drone Spiral Gouache on paper 30 x 42 cm 2016
Drone Spiral 2 oil on linen 120 x 160 2018
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