Project Romulus: A Handheld Automatic Aiming System for Recreational Airsoft; Analyzing the Expanse of Military Artificial Intelligence and the Influence of Societal Values 137 views

Sociotechnical Synthesis Artificial intelligence has become so prevalent in modern society as a multipurpose analytical tool. In what ways does the United States military influence how Americans value this technology, and in turn, other pieces of tech that the armed forces help produce? This thesis portfolio aims to tackle the impact of military influence on civilians via two perspectives. In the technical report, an autonomous product was created with the intention to assist civilians who enjoy participating in a recreational sport named Airsoft—a sport in which is popularized by its players attempting to simulate military combat. Following this, the sociotechnical report analyzes the military’s adoption of autonomous systems and how Americans are shaped by the tech they normalize. The technical portion of this thesis proposes to directly address fine motor control problems that many Airsoft players face. The finalized solution is Romulus; a handheld, automatic aiming system that attaches to existing recreational Airsoft equipment. This system recognizes and tracks a designated target using a combination of sensors and linear actuators to help casual players that have trouble accurately tracking the opposing team. The final product has the ability to accurately track a desired target from a distance of twenty feet and holds a battery life of over two hours. The sociotechnical portion of this thesis addresses the historical impact of the United States' military as a driver of both technological innovation and social change, along with examining the impact that military AI has on the American public. Through research of STS frameworks such as Social Construction of Technology and built-environment analysis, the normalization of AI infrastructure compromises how Americans view personal privacy, freedom, and autonomy.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

artificial intelligence; military; ai; airsoft

School of Engineering and Applied Science Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering Technical Advisor: Adam Barnes STS Advisor: Coleen Carrigan Technical Team Members: Jacob Cochran, Andrew Morrison, Tryn Dunne

English

All rights reserved by the author (no additional license for public reuse)

2026-05-05