Recent testing at Fort Hood, TX showed state-of-the-art autonomy for critically needed applications for the US Army.
Unmanned operations in snow and rain.
Owners Karl Murphy (L) and Alberto Lacaze (R) in front of an unmanned Stryker vehicle.
Route Planning
Route Planning Aid for Convoys (RPAC) is a Robotic Research system designed for the military that has direct application to commercial uses, such as commercial re-planning for deliveries, disaster response coordination, or as an enhancement to other vehicle navigation systems. RPAC was originally designed for planning convoy routes through. In the military application, the convoy coordinators meticulously study the battle space and fuse intelligence to maximize situational awareness and minimize risk. Route planning requires much more than just knowledge of road locations and blockages. Shot analysis reports, counter intelligence reports, friendly/hostile/neutral locations, and social/cultural mores are all critical aspects of the battle space. For civilian or commercial situations, the system would take into consideration traffic patterns, traffic jams, accidents, weather, local disruptions to traffic and special events (running of a marathon that would close a street, a street concert, or an athletic game ending). Data fusion does not end at the planning stage. Throughout the operation, either for the military or for efficient commercial use, new information is constantly received that changes the optimal route. Fusing various sources of data is an ongoing problem for any vehicle transport situation. For the military, Robotic Research (RR), with sub-contractors General Dynamics Robotic Systems (GDRS), and Rababy & Associates, designed the Route Planning Aid for Convoys (RPAC) system to provide a near real-time tool to fuse actionable intelligence and suggest routes for convoy operations.
