U.S. Army selects Swarmbotics AI for autonomous robot swarms

The United States Army has selected Swarmbotics AI to develop swarming, attritable small unmanned ground vehicles as part of its Transformation in Contact effort with the 1st Cavalry Division, the company announced on Feb. 5.

The award follows Swarmbotics AI’s performance at last year’s xTech Overwatch competition, where Army soldiers evaluated autonomous systems intended for rapid integration into operational units. The effort is focused on advancing the Army’s ability to deploy large numbers of low-cost robotic platforms to support maneuver formations in contested environments.

According to the company, the program centers on swarming, heterogeneous small unmanned ground vehicles designed to operate cooperatively and accept attrition during combat operations. Swarmbotics AI said the systems are intended to create tactical dilemmas for adversaries while reducing reliance on more expensive, crewed platforms.

“Mass is our objective, by employing swarms of heterogeneous small sUGVs we create multiple dilemmas for our adversaries at fractions of the cost of exquisite platforms,” said Stephen Houghton, chief executive officer of Swarmbotics AI, in a company statement.

During xTech Overwatch evaluations, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division assessed multiple contractors’ autonomous capabilities across ground vehicles, airborne systems, payload integration, and mission planning tools. The assessments were conducted in coordination with Army stakeholders to determine which technologies were suitable for rapid transition into Transformation in Contact formations.

Lt. Col. Nick Rinaldi, competition lead at the Army Applications Laboratory, said the structure of xTech Overwatch accelerated decision-making by placing operational units directly in the evaluation process. “Having the entire material kill chain as evaluators invested in the outcome was critical to the speed of decisions on which technologies were most suited to move into a TiC formation,” Rinaldi said.

He added that the approach reflects how the Army intends to work with industry going forward, emphasizing rapid experimentation, direct soldier feedback, and quicker transition from demonstration to field use. According to Rinaldi, engaging companies on real operational problems and evaluating systems in realistic contexts allows the Army to make procurement and integration decisions faster.

Swarmbotics AI’s technical leadership said the program demonstrated the operational value of robotic mass at the small-unit level. Drew Watson, the company’s chief technology officer, said xTech Overwatch showed what could be achieved with limited numbers of robots and pointed to larger-scale deployments planned with the 1st Cavalry Division.

“The key takeaway is that robot swarms are here to stay,” Watson said. He added that upcoming work with the division in 2026 will focus on establishing baseline concepts for deploying hundreds of robots during maneuver and breaching operations.

The Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative is designed to push new capabilities directly into operational units for experimentation and refinement, rather than relying solely on long-term development programs. Attritable unmanned ground systems are viewed as a way to extend reconnaissance, security, and support functions while reducing risk to soldiers.