Military Boost to Driverless Vehicles
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Some 60 percent of US combat casualties were related to convoy resupply in 2013 alone, according to Pentagon figures. Autonomous vehicles to deliver supplies could address this issue. The US army aims to have its first Robotic Combat Vehicles Technology demonstrator ready by 2021, but what changes will this unmanned paradigm bring to the manufacture of military vehicles?
Join us at the AUS&R 2018 Conference and Exhibition to learn more about the latest developments in military robotics and autonomy.
The US military is primarily concerned with developing robust and reliable tactical vehicles to withstand various terrains around the world while removing people from unnecessarily risky situations.
Last year, the joint US-UK Coalition Assured Autonomous Resupply (CAAR) demonstrated such capability in Michigan. This ground-breaking line-haul convoy involved a truck leading two follower trucks, using integrated on-board robotics to make autonomous decisions regarding speed and steering. It proved revolutionary and demonstrated the potential of taking humans out of the equation in supply delivery.
One of the relevant sensor technologies, LIDAR, uses pulsed lasers to measure distances between objects and navigate successfully. The laser scanner provides a 360-degree view of what’s happening around the vehicle. The creators of LIDAR claim its product is capable of identifying far away objects regardless of their size, be it a piece of paper, butterfly or tire debris and take the necessary action.
Sensors must be able to differentiate between a tree and a camouflaged enemy. Arguably, sensors for military applications require a deeper level of intelligence than other commercial autonomous vehicles for this reason.
The industry is more likely to see a transition to semi-autonomous vehicles, before a move to fully autonomous versions. For instance, according to sensormag.com, adverse weather conditions, such as sandstorms, black ice and dust can challenge even the best military vehicles in the industry. Without an expert steering system, suspension system and chassis, you cannot leverage the new autonomous driving technology. Thankfully, rigorous physical and environmental testing in the steering industry now means steering components can take on the debris, moisture and temperature variation that is faced in service, without resulting in water ingression or high torque steering.
As autonomous vehicles become more widespread, the acceptance of the technology in daily life will bolster such use in the military. Already, the prices of sensors and software in the general robotics industry have been driven downwards by the combination of economies. It certainly looks promising for 2021, as we anticipate the first look of the Robotic Combat Vehicles Technology demonstrator.
Learn more about unmanned systems and robotics at the battlefield at the coming AUS&R Conference and Exhibition organized by iHLS on October 15, 2018.
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Booth/sponsorship: Matan +972-54-8097456 [email protected] [email protected]
