Ep. 011: Unpicking the "Military Metaverse" - Joe Robinson

Warfighter Podcast

In a long anticipated episode, we are joined by Joe Robinson who is the CEO of Improbable Defence.

In a wide ranging discussion, Joe kicks off by tackling the Metaverse question, defining what it means to Defence, and providing his own personal views on how it might be implemented over the coming years. Joe also provides a short update on some internal developments within Improbable as the organisation matures its service delivery offerings.

We also take the time to discuss with Joe some of the more recent topics within defence, including how AI and machine learning might impact defence and how they relate to modelling and simulation.

Recognising that the adoption of new technologies might require a different approach to, Joe goes on to describe how governments are adapting the way they procure, implement and support these emerging concepts. Joe highlights the work done by Defence Digital and other organisations across government that are changing the way they do business.

As ever we are joined by our intrepid journalist Andy Fawkes from MS&T, who is sticking with the Metaverse theme to update us on developments within the Royal Navy’s bridge simulators. Andy goes on to discuss another story about how VR can be used to identify people by their movement and behaviours only, which is an interesting if slightly scary concept.

Episode Sponsor: Improbable Defence

Improbable Defence is a mission focused technology company working to transform the national security of our nations and their allies in the face of increasing global competition and evolving threats.

Today, national security is defined by technological superiority. We believe that software more than any other capability will redefine how war is fought and who will be on the winning side. Those entrusted with the preservation of our freedom, prosperity and safety deserve the best software-defined capabilities available.

Since the end of the Cold War, the UK, US and their allies have been unchallenged in military technological dominance. Today, we are facing a different reality: our adversaries are seizing the technological edge.

Improbable Defence chooses to stand up and not stand by. We are building cutting-edge software products to help our nations retake the technological advantage. We believe in defending our democratic values against those who seek to undermine them. Supporting those tasked with this mission is at the heart of all we do. We seek to radically transform the mission outcomes of those whose responsibility it is to keep us safe.

Hosts:

• Tom Constable: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-constable/
• Colin Hillier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinhillier/

Guest:

• Joe Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-robinson-20b2664b/

Links:

• Website: https://www.warfighterpodcast.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/warfighter-digital/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkgiH-cwmyc2I2Iyc8MLYtg
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarfighterPod

News Stories Related Links:

• PM extends Ukraine military training to pilots and marines as President Zelenskyy makes first visit to the UK since Russian invasion: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-extends-ukraine-military-training-to-pilots-and-marines-as-president-zelenskyy-makes-first-visit-to-the-uk-since-russian-invasion#:~:text=The%20UK%20will%20continue%20to,main%20battle%20tanks%20to%20Ukraine.
• Royal Navy enters the Metaverse with new Virtual Reality simulators: https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/february/14/20231402-vr-bridge-sims
• Boffins find they can identify VR players just from head and hand movements: https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/18/vr_telemetry_identity/