It could be the title of a movie, ‘Humanoids for the Battlefield.’ But a California software company is building the technology to bring humanoids or robots to life for real-world, non-combat, military applications.
“Humanoids are procured off the shelf as basic models,” Amarjot Singh, founder & CEO of SkyLark Labs Inc., said in an interview with Military.com. “We build the brains for them, and have been demonstrating what they can do for the U.S. government, some Middle East governments, as well as the Indian government.”
Established in 2022, Skylark Labs is based in Menlo Park, Calif., a core hub of Silicon Valley, located about 30 miles south of San Francisco. The city is also home to the corporate headquarters for META, which means Skylark Labs is in good company for being on the cutting edge. Its mission is to create self-learning brains for drones, robots and other machines that can adapt to the world around them and think collectively with others.
Humanoids for manufacturing or home building know how to grab a plate, how to move an object, or grab a screwdriver. But in the defense or military world, it’s how to grab a gun, how to fire a gun, or breach a building. That’s where we put our focus.
Software Makes Robots ‘Smarter’ For Military Use
Inspired by the human brain, Singh said humanoid software allows machines to become smarter with every experience, learning directly from what can be seen, heard, and felt.
“Adaptability is our key. Building things that are mission-critical, but also having the ability to keep making changes, adapting and updating applications in real time,” Singh said. “Most humanoids today are built for factories and kitchens, and they are computer-hungry. We build ours for defense, and we can train them for a variety of tasks within minutes.”
But more than carrying out tasks, humanoids can save lives. The software gives basic robots the ability to go places and carry out missions that would be too dangerous or too challenging for humans to complete.
“Different kinds of applications. One example is breaching, where a military unit wants to breach a building. If soldiers were to go in first, they could be shot at. So they want the humanoids to do the breaching,” Singh said. “Gorilla warfare is another example, where humanoids would take the place of human soldiers to fire a gun or carry on if there’s a fire or a related rescue operation. Humanoids are ideal in those kinds of dangerous scenarios.”
As with any technological advancement, there are limits.
“If it is open warfare, you can send in drones. They are much faster than a humanoid, so these are not going to be very useful,” Singh said. “But in closed quarters, or for reconnaissance missions, this is where humanoids are most effective.”
Growing Demand By Governments for Humanoid Software
Singh and his software company already see demand for their humanoid software. At a cost of roughly $450,000 per unit and up, Singh says there are orders and Letters of Intent worth millions of dollars.
“Right now we have an order for 25 units, which is on the Indian side,” he said. “And then we have LOI’s for around 250 units from a customer in the Middle East, which we have to deliver over the next two years.”
So what’s next for humanoid software? Building better, more advanced systems for faster and more efficient delivery, especially for the U.S. military. Singh says there’s interest, and letters of intent, but no firm orders yet.
“We have the LOIs and are demonstrating the software for procurement,” he said. “Our specialization is building the brain for these humanoids. We think if we can build it, they will come.”
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