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.
RTC Hawthorne Demo for Marine Corps
Robotic Research engineers participated as subcontractors to General Dynamics Robotic Systems on a demonstration for the US Marine Corps to "Use autonomous utility vehicle system as a concept demonstrator in an experiment to determine the utility of conducting supply distribution and casualty evacuation with an unmanned ground vehicle." This resulted in a three-day demonstration held in June, 2009 at the Army's Hawthorne Test Range in Nevada .
The proposal issued by the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) required:
Demonstrate the ability to autonomously deliver:
a payload of greater than 800 lbs
to locations 30 km from point of origin
over unimproved roads and trails that require the off-road performance and capability equivalent to a HMMWV
at speeds above 7 mph
It must have the ability to, after the initial human input, complete the mission without further human input during normal conditions. Normal conditions are defined as rural, non-hostile vehicular and pedestrian traffic conditions.
Demonstrate a mission planning tool that will allow for timely and simple programming of the autonomous routes by a computer novice. This tool must have the ability to easily modify the route mid-mission from a location at least 100m away (within line of sight) if the system encounters abnormal conditions or there is a need to change the mission.
Train, within three days, computer novice personnel to use the system without technical assistance.
Demonstrate the ability of the system to, in autonomous mode, safely operate in a dynamic, live force environment where Marines (both on foot and in vehicles) are conducting operations, both connected to and independent of, the resupply mission.
