How does one simulate the unpredictable? INESC TEC develops AI-powered technology for simulating complex scenarios

When time is short and decisions are critical, having an intelligent support system can make all the difference. And INESC TEC is building that future through the newly launched European project BATTLEVERSE.

The European Commission granted €14.9M under the 2024 European Defence Fund for 24 institutions to spend 36 months creating a bridge between real and virtual environments capable of supporting the planning and execution of missions dynamically and effectively through simulations. The project’s main objective is to create an advanced European ecosystem to support military planning, simulation and decision-making in complex, multi-domain operations (land, sea, air, space and cyberspace), combining interoperability, rapid simulation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a responsible way.

Using AI-based scenario generation and machine learning techniques, BATTLEVERSE will make it possible to virtually execute complex mission scenarios, providing actionable information on the dynamics of the operational field and improving response times. The solution will provide mission commanders with an interactive virtual operational space, improved with digital twins of assets, terrain and weather conditions – enabling them to accurately test multiple courses of action and simulate potential adversarial responses.

“One of the project’s most distinctive aspects is the use of a paradigm known as MSaaS – Modeling and Simulation as a Service – which allows different systems and organisations to work together in an integrated and efficient way,” said Fernando Cassola, one of the INESC TEC researchers involved in the project. His work will focus on ensuring that the decision-support tools used in the project are understandable, transparent and controllable by their users.

There are two major scientific dimensions involved in the project: first, researchers working on immersive environments and human-centred interaction, like Fernando Cassola; second, researchers specialising in robotics and autonomous systems, like Hugo Silva.

Concerning robotics, INESC TEC’s role involves ensuring data acquisition in real environments through heterogeneous sensors. Researchers working in robotics will also take part in validating the technology in operational scenarios.

For INESC TEC, the maritime domain is particularly significant within the project, partly due to the connection to the Institute’s centre of excellence, INESCTEC.OCEAN. In this case, several use cases will integrate simulation and digital twins to represent and analyse coastal and ocean environments.

With BATTLEVERSE, INESC TEC once again reinforces the role in developing innovative European technological solutions, contributing to reusable simulation ecosystems and helping open this sector to new companies and innovation players.