The Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems, A Set of SAE Interoperability Standards

The Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems, or JAUS, has long been the leader in standardizing the logical interfaces for unmanned systems. Started in 1998 under the direction of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Joint Robotics Program, JAUS aims to reduce the number of “stove-pipe” systems purchased by the military, reduce the development time through significant component level reuse and increase the interoperability in these systems. Although the goals and the approach are sound, much of the unmanned systems' technology is not mature enough for standardization. Technology development remains primarily in laboratories and industry had not yet settled in on a sufficient set of best practices. Further, the market for unmanned systems is in its infancy and the players control the interfaces that in turn restrict competition. The JAUS standards however, capture and catalogue common interfaces and a mature service based approach to enable continued growth of the standard set and robotic technology without risk of early obsolescence.