Anura software aims to enable crews to manage vehicle systems using natural language commands. As the system operates without a cloud connection, it can also be used in environments where communications are disrupted.
General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), a subsidiary of General Dynamics, and Primordial Labs have signed a master teaming agreement to bring natural language command and control capabilities to ground combat vehicles. The agreement combines GDLS’s expertise in combat vehicle design and systems integration with Primordial Labs’ Anura Natural Language Command and Control (NLC2) software. The technology will enable vehicle crews to direct onboard systems by verbally specifying mission objectives, goals and constraints.
Integration of Anura into Combat Vehicles
Under the agreement, Primordial Labs will expand the integration of Anura software across platforms in General Dynamics Land Systems’ vehicle portfolio. This will allow crews to issue commands in natural language rather than using separate menus and manual control systems for each task. To execute these commands, Anura will be able to interact with relevant onboard subsystems, including sensors, displays, communications systems and unmanned systems, enabling operations that would normally require separate operator stations. Anura software will run directly on the vehicle’s onboard computing infrastructure without requiring a cloud connection, allowing it to operate in combat environments where communications are disrupted or denied. Traditionally, adding new capabilities to combat vehicles requires the use of new control systems and additional personnel training, while also increasing crew workload. In this context, Anura aims to reduce this burden by enabling new subsystems and software updates to be managed through a single control interface. This is expected to allow the US Army and Marine Corps to deploy new technologies across different platforms more rapidly.
Lee Ritholtz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Primordial Labs, stated that the US Army had made it clear that future formations would be dynamic and that combat platforms were becoming increasingly dependent on software-based systems and advanced robotics. He explained that Anura was developed to enable soldiers to control different systems more easily while reducing the cognitive, physical and training burdens on personnel. Ritholtz noted that the software would enable small armoured vehicle crews to interact with a range of assets, from onboard mission systems to unmanned platforms, adding that the collaboration with GDLS was important for integrating the technology into US armoured vehicle platforms.
Keith Barclay, Vice President and General Manager of US Operations at General Dynamics Land Systems, emphasised that natural language control technology could contribute to greater combat effectiveness with smaller crews, reduced physical workload and improved cognitive performance. Barclay explained that the work with Primordial Labs included integrating Anura into platforms such as Abrams tanks and next-generation combat vehicles. He stated that their aim was to enable soldiers to control complex systems intuitively, transform combat vehicles into AI-enabled platforms adaptable to different missions, and enhance human-machine collaboration.
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Source: C4Defence – GDLS
