Compute in a matchbox
Running capable perception and autonomy on hardware with a fraction of the power a larger platform can spare.
System 03 · Tactical Miniature
Tactical miniature
systems.
Small, man-portable autonomous systems for close-range and dismounted use. When size, weight and power are tightly limited, simplicity and ruggedness matter more than anything — and that constraint is exactly what makes the problem interesting.
The Idea
Capability you can
carry.
The tactical edge is where most decisions actually get made — close, cluttered, and often without a reliable link to anyone else. A system that helps there has to be small enough to carry, quick enough to deploy, and self-sufficient enough to work without a support chain.
That is a brutal engineering constraint, and a clarifying one. Every gram and every watt has to justify itself. What survives the cut tends to be the capability that genuinely matters: see a bit further, understand a bit more, and do it without adding to what someone already has to carry.
Design Principles
Small, rugged, and honest about limits.
A tactical system earns its place by being dependable and unobtrusive. If it needs babysitting, it is a liability rather than an asset.
- Compact autonomyMeaningful capability running on small, low-power hardware — the intelligence lives on the device.
- Fast to deployUsable within moments by someone who has other things to worry about.
- Light on logisticsMinimal support, minimal setup, minimal training overhead.
- Works aloneContinues to be useful without a constant link back to anyone.
ConstraintsSWaP
SizeMan-portable by design
WeightCarried alongside existing kit
PowerStrict on-board energy budget
LinkAssumed intermittent or absent
StageResearch & development
Why It's Hard
Everything is a
trade-off.
Miniature systems remove every comfortable assumption you get to make on a larger platform.
Energy is everything
Endurance, compute and sensing all draw from the same small battery. Every choice costs another.
Ruggedness
Small things get dropped, knocked and rained on. Surviving ordinary handling is a hard requirement.
Simplicity under stress
The interface has to make sense to someone who is tired, busy and not thinking about your product.
This system is under active research and development. Nothing described here has been fielded, and we do not publish specifications or performance figures. Our first end-to-end mission test is planned for December 2026. Detail is shared directly with partners, evaluators and the armed forces under appropriate terms — get in touch.
Talk To Us
Working at the
tactical edge?
If you evaluate, procure or field small autonomous systems, we'd value the conversation.