An APL engineer modifies a robot to test its navigation algorithms

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Autonomy

Engineering with intelligence

Designing, building, and applying new technologies—especially those that include artificial intelligence—can be a double-edged sword: powerful and enabling on the one hand, but potentially biased and vulnerable to infiltration on the other.

From health care to planetary defense and national security, Johns Hopkins APL continues to make advances in AI to ensure the technology’s capabilities while identifying, minimizing, or eliminating its weaknesses.

A Laboratory-wide collaborative community of AI researchers and applied scientists works in domains from beneath the sea to outer space to innovatively incorporate autonomy, computer vision, machine learning, and other AI techniques across the breadth of our programs and projects. Internally funded AI exploration and research help us take bold steps in this realm to continue advancing AI for the good of the nation and the world.

Featured Facility
Intelligent Systems Center

Intelligent Systems Center →

The Intelligent Systems Center (ISC) leverages APL’s broad expertise across national security, space exploration, and health to fundamentally advance the employment of intelligent systems for our nation’s critical challenges. The ISC acts as a focal point for research and development in artificial intelligence, robotics, and neuroscience at APL.


Learn more about Intelligent Systems Center

Related Projects

Robotics researchers Craig Knuth and Adam Polevoy test machine learning algorithms for estimating traversable regions in complex environments. Such algorithms are necessary to enable robotic systems to autonomously traverse complex terrain.

Agile and Intelligent Robots

Developing novel controls for robotic systems operating safely in complex environments.
Learn more about Agile and Intelligent Robots
AlphaDogfight

AlphaDogfight Trials

APL served as a core member of the Air Combat Evolution program team created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the 2020 AlphaDogfight Trials, a showdown between eight AI research teams from across the United States.
Learn more about AlphaDogfight Trials
ISC researchers Elizabeth Reilly and Jason Lee apply mathematical models to understand how different shocks impact food security.

Artificial Intelligence for Climate Action

Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and mathematics to spur innovation and novel solutions to challenges at the intersection of climate change and national security.
Learn more about Artificial Intelligence for Climate Action
Climate Security

Climate Security

Climate change is reshaping nearly every aspect of life on our planet, with significant implications for national security. APL is bringing all of its core competencies to bear on this critical challenge area, exploring strategic opportunities to make the greatest impact on climate change.
Learn more about Climate Security
Golden Horde

Golden Horde

Achieving networked, collaborative offensive weapons systems that will learn from their environment and autonomously work together to defeat integrated air and missile defenses.
Learn more about Golden Horde
Erik Johnson, a machine learning researcher at Johns Hopkins APL, demonstrating how agents are evaluated for lifelong learning on ISC-developed L2Explorer.

Lifelong Learning Machines

Enabling intelligent systems that continuously adapt to changing conditions and missions in the real world.
Learn more about Lifelong Learning Machines
Optical physicist Michael Fitch models a prototype high-density diffuse optical imaging system, described in JJ Wathen et al. 2021.

Neural Interfaces

Directly interfacing with the nervous system to connect humans with intelligent systems.
Learn more about Neural Interfaces
Raphael Norman-Tenazas, neuro-AI researcher, tests a robot navigation strategy inspired by the fruit fly connectome.

Neuroscience-Inspired Artificial Intelligence

Developing next-generation learning algorithms that draw inspiration from biological nervous systems to revolutionize intelligent systems.
Learn more about Neuroscience-Inspired Artificial Intelligence
Neil Fendley, machine learning researcher, demonstrates a backdoor adversarial attack he embedded in a computer vision application.

Robust and Resilient Artificial Intelligence

Developing intelligent systems for missions characterized by uncertain and adversarial environments.
Learn more about Robust and Resilient Artificial Intelligence
Swarming unmanned surface vehicles

Swarming Uncrewed Surface Vehicles

APL, in collaboration with the Naval Air Warfare Center Port Hueneme Weapons Division, led a swarming uncrewed surface vehicle demonstration of advanced multivehicle autonomy at tactically relevant speeds.
Learn more about Swarming Uncrewed Surface Vehicles
Autonomous swarming unmanned surface vessels (SUSVs) — equipped with Johns Hopkins APL-developed hardware and autonomy software

Uncrewed Surface Vessel Perception

International regulations for preventing collisions at sea require vessels to operate within certain distances based on the visual identification of other vessels.
Learn more about Uncrewed Surface Vessel Perception

Related News

APL is developing a suite of solutions, including coral engineering, eDNA analysis and climate intelligence, that work together to improve long-term resilience at the coastline.
News

Apr 25, 2024

Johns Hopkins APL Developing a Suite of Solutions to Address Coastal Challenges

As coastlines become more difficult to secure, APL is combining expertise in materials engineering, marine biology, plant biology, computer science and modeling to fortify coastal resilience.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Developing a Suite of Solutions to Address Coastal Challenges
James Adams
News

Mar 25, 2024

Johns Hopkins APL’s Adams Named to Federal 100 List for Service to Nation

James Adams, a senior advisor in APL’s National Security Analysis Department, has been named to the Federal 100 this year.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL’s Adams Named to Federal 100 List for Service to Nation
Composite image. The image on the left shows a molecular biologist. The image on the right shows oceanographers.
Press Release

Mar 19, 2024

Johns Hopkins APL Honored Twice on Fast Company’s 2024 ‘Most Innovative Companies’ List

Two breakthrough technologies from APL received Most Innovative Companies awards from Fast Company. APL was ranked No. 6 in the Rapid Response category for biothreat characterization technology and No. 10 in the Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) category for its use of AI to identify climate tipping points.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Honored Twice on Fast Company’s 2024 ‘Most Innovative Companies’ List
Harold Lee, George Coles, and Alfred Mayalu
News

Mar 13, 2024

Three Johns Hopkins APL Staff Members Honored for STEM Excellence

Three APL staff members received honors for excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as a part of the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) at the 2024 BEYA STEM Conference, held Feb. 15-17.
Learn more about Three Johns Hopkins APL Staff Members Honored for STEM Excellence
Artificial intelligence (Credit: Bigstock)
Press Release

Mar 8, 2024

Johns Hopkins APL Joins National AI Safety Consortium

APL has joined the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium, the first such group dedicated to promoting the development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies with an emphasis on safety, reliability and ethical standards.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins APL Joins National AI Safety Consortium

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