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Archive for the ‘Robotics’ Category

AUSA 24 – Deloitte Robotic Concept

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024

Not all robots on the battlefield are going to look like the Terminator. In fact, few will. Take for example this model from Deloitte which looks like a remote control car minus the body. The vast majority of uncrewed systems of the future will be attritable, essentially one-time-use affairs with specific missions in mind. They’ll also be configurable with difference payloads and we will likely see swarming of ground systems to overwhelm an enemy’s ground forces with targets that may not be what they seem on a screen. Imagine creating a mini task force of robots with ISR, EW, and kinetic payloads on a platoon of robots and unleashing them on the flank of an enemy vehicle column. You can get the desired effect without ever putting a human at risk.

Posted in AUSA, Robotics | 1 Comment »

AUSA 24 – Tomahawk Ground Control Stations

Monday, October 21st, 2024

Although all of AeroVironment’s uncrewed systems are open architecture and will accept control solutions from other vendors, AeroVironment purchased Tomahawk Robotics just over a year ago due to interest in their Ground Control Solutions.

The Tomahawk GCS is an AI-enhanced, open-architecture common control system providing multi-domain, multi-robotic command-and-control capabilities. Tomahawk’s Kinesis software and Kinesis SDKs enable rapid development, integration, and deployment of 3rd-party technology to the warfighter at the edge…

Seen above is the Grip S20, a rugged controller designed around the Samsung Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition smartphone. Grip S20 is military-hardened and provides an intuitive UI to simplify UxV control. It is run by their Kinesis software which offers unmanned systems control, TAK/ATAK integration to provide video rebroadcasting, COT messaging, and bi-directional syncing of POIs. Kinesis optimizes the vehicle pairing process, enables UxV formations and control, and a map engine that supports multiple sources via layers, DTED, and coordinates in both Lat Long and MGRS.

The controller can be paired with an edge processor like the MxC-Mini which is a Nett Warrior-compliant data link that seamlessly integrates with tactical UxVs. These edge processors ingest large amounts of data for high-speed, body-worn computation, reducing cognitive load, and fusing raw intelligence data for real-time decision-making.

www.avinc.com/uas/network-connectivity

Posted in AI / ML, AUSA, Robotics, UAS | Comments Off on AUSA 24 – Tomahawk Ground Control Stations

At EDGE, Lockheed Martin Drives Advancements in AI, Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming and Networked Connectivity for U.S. Army

Friday, October 18th, 2024

The Big Picture

At several 2024 U.S. Army demonstrations such as Project Convergence and Army Futures Command’s Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event (EDGE), Lockheed Martin is demonstrating crewed-uncrewed teaming, uncrewed-uncrewed operations, Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) and integrated systems in various missions relevant to 21st Century Security® in all domains including through the digital frontier.

During EDGE, Lockheed Martin conducted highly realistic air/ground teaming scenarios with uncrewed aerial and ground vehicles. A launched effect provided overwatch guidance for a quadruped that navigated urban terrain with human and vehicle obstacles. This technology is designed to operate in environments with degraded or intermittent communications, and scale to many uncrewed systems. Image courtesy DVIDS.

The Details

During EDGE, Lockheed Martin conducted successful AI and launched effects demonstrations including rapid integration into Lockheed Martin’s mission systems thanks to the company’s open architecture systems. Image courtesy DVIDS.

During EDGE, Lockheed Martin conducted highly realistic air/ground teaming scenarios with uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), acting as launched effects surrogates, and uncrewed ground vehicles (UGV).

In one mission scenario, a launched effect provided autonomous overwatch guidance for a quadruped that navigated urban terrain with human and vehicle obstacles. This technology is designed to operate in environments with degraded or intermittent communications, and scale to many uncrewed systems.

The successful demonstrations included rapid integration into Lockheed Martin’s mission systems thanks to the company’s open architecture systems.

The scenario played out in the Air-Ground Littoral, an area where the majority of Army operations, both air and ground occur.

Lockheed Martin sees the Air-Ground Littoral as the space primarily occupied by ground forces, supporting helicopters and launched effects, between the ground and up to a few thousand feet of altitude.

Expert Perspectives

Dan Morrison, technical program manager, Lockheed Martin

“Our experimentation is refining autonomous, collaborative behaviors and proving out AI/ML systems in a realistic and challenging environment. Ultimately, this will further enable commanders to better integrate humans and machines in formation and offer increased standoff and reduced workload for Soldiers.”

Michael Harasimowicz, director, AI Innovations, Lockheed Martin

“AI enabling technologies are critical for the U.S. Army to harness decision advantage by extending and expanding sensor understanding at the edge of the battlespace. One day very soon you will see a mission where a Black Hawk helicopter sends information to launched effects that is out ahead of the fight and communicates with a UGV for first contact with the opposing force.”

Going Deeper: The Lockheed Martin AI Center

Lockheed Martin’s AI Center (LAIC), and the experience of our Applied AI researchers combined with the expertise of teammates who are U.S. Army veterans led to the successes at EDGE.

Fifteen members of the LAIC went to Yuma to support EDGE to support five separate AI-enabled capabilities.

“We are demonstrating our suite of AI capabilities for coordinated use and intuitive control across the Air and Ground domain featuring the Lockheed Martin Stalker uncrewed system and a Spot®, Boston Dynamics Quadruped Robot,” said Harasimowicz. “This synchronization of airborne and ground-based defenses demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s commitment to Force Protection Technologies, a key mission for the U.S. Army.”

Posted in Press Release, Robotics, UAS | Comments Off on At EDGE, Lockheed Martin Drives Advancements in AI, Crewed-Uncrewed Teaming and Networked Connectivity for U.S. Army

American Rheinmetall Vehicles Wins Award for U.S. Army’s S-MET Inc II Program

Monday, October 7th, 2024

American Rheinmetall Vehicles, Sterling Heights, MI, has won one of two contracts awarded in the U.S. Army’s Small Multi-Purpose Equipment Transport vehicle (S-MET) program. American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) will provide the Army with a versatile and resilient platform capable of efficiently transporting supplies and equipment over rugged terrain to support combat operations. American Rheinmetall Vehicles collaborated with lead partner Textron Systems on the proposal.

American Rheinmetall Vehicles will manufacture and deliver eight proto¬types to the Army in 2025 for testing, evaluation, and to compete against the platform delivered by the second awardee before the Army downselects to a single platform and the program transitions to full scale production.

Rheinmetall has substantial expertise in developing unmanned ground vehicles, exemplified in its Mission Master family of vehicles, which encompass a range of modular, autonomous platforms designed for diverse missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, cUAS, and logistical support. American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ S-MET solution leverages the ground-breaking advancements in unmanned technology found in the Mission Master vehicles to deliver a UGV tailored to meet the unique requirements of the Army’s S-MET program. The platform also uses many mature commercial components already found in the Army’s inventory or the commercial ATV space which drives affordability and reliability, and addresses electromagnetic concerns through its unique composite structure and use of materials.

“American Rheinmetall Vehicles is honored with the Army’s selection and excited to deliver our S-MET platform which is particularly attractive due to its technological excellence, affordability, and reliability,” said Jim Schirmer, Senior Vice President and Deputy Managing Director of American Rheinmetall Vehicles.

Textron Systems brings to the team more than three decades of experience designing, manufacturing, fielding, and supporting unmanned platforms across air, land and sea domains.

Textron Systems and its subsidiary, Howe & Howe, contribute extensive knowledge of robotics and systems integration to the S-MET Inc II program, having developed the mature, multi-mission capable RIPSAW® M5 and M3 ground robotics platforms for the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) programs. Leveraging the control architecture developed for Textron Systems’ RCV solutions, the team’s S-MET vehicle provides a commonality that enables operators to utilize a common interface for both the RCV and S-MET programs. This approach reduces the overall training burden and maximizes investments made.

About American Rheinmetall Vehicles
American Rheinmetall Vehicles delivers next-generation, advanced tactical wheeled vehicles and innovative tracked and wheeled combat vehicles in support of today’s highest combat vehicle modernization priorities. Rheinmetall’s collaborative global structure allows for the maturation and strengthening of the U.S. Industrial Base now and into the future. American Rheinmetall Vehicles is part of the American Rheinmetall family of U.S. companies including American Rheinmetall Munitions in Stafford, VA, Windham, ME, and Camden, AR, American Rheinmetall Systems in Biddeford, ME and U.S. corporate parent American Rheinmetall Defense in Reston, VA. www.rheinmetall.com/arv
Unmanned and Unmatched.

Posted in Army, Contracts, Press Release, Robotics | Comments Off on American Rheinmetall Vehicles Wins Award for U.S. Army’s S-MET Inc II Program

Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and Teledyne Flir Defense Deliver Ripsaw M3 Prototypes For US Army RCV Program

Friday, October 4th, 2024

HUNT VALLEY, Md., October 3, 2024 – Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced today that Team RIPSAW — Textron Systems, its subsidiary, Howe & Howe and Teledyne FLIR Defense — has delivered two RIPSAW® M3 prototype vehicles to the U.S. Army for the competitive Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Phase I: Platform Prototype program. The vehicles were delivered to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

The RIPSAW M3 leverages a modular open systems architecture (MOSA) design and common chassis to support a variety of interchangeable payloads from a basic flat-top deck configuration. A rugged and reliable RCV platform, the vehicle is designed to meet Army requirements while preserving transportability and mission versatility.

“The RIPSAW M3 exemplifies the innovative technology Howe & Howe develops to support our customers,” said Senior Vice President, Mike Howe. “Designed for ease of integration with a common robotic core, the prototypes delivered represent the decades of experience in the ground robotics space our team possesses.”

“Team RIPSAW leverages the expertise of Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and Teledyne FLIR Defense, creating a mission-ready system to support the Army’s needs,” said Senior Vice President Air, Land and Sea Systems, David Phillips. “Our dedication to testing the prototype vehicles before delivery ensures we’re providing a rugged, reliable system.”

“We’re proud to be partnered with Textron Systems and Howe & Howe to deliver this unprecedented robotic platform to the U.S. Army,” said Dr. JihFen Lei, President of Teledyne FLIR Defense. “We’re excited to bring our expertise in uncrewed aerial systems, 360-degree situational awareness, and intelligent sensing technology onto the RIPSAW M3 that will give soldiers a decisive tactical edge and allow commanders to make better, faster decisions.”

Team RIPSAW has invested in this family of robotic vehicles since 2019 when the RIPSAW M5 system first debuted. Later variants, including the M5-E (electric) and M3 Tech Demonstrator, leveraged the team’s collaboration with industry partners, academia and the U.S. Army to perform multiple mission sets in various environmental and test conditions. Since 2019, the RIPSAW family of vehicles have amassed over 4,700 miles of durability testing.

Posted in Army, Contracts, Press Release, Robotics | Comments Off on Textron Systems, Howe & Howe and Teledyne Flir Defense Deliver Ripsaw M3 Prototypes For US Army RCV Program

EDGE of Innovation: EDGE 24 Concludes at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

The Army Futures Command’s (AFC) Future Vertical Lift (FVL) Cross-Functional Team (CFT)’s 2024 iteration of the Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event (EDGE) concluded earlier this week after three weeks of experimentation.

EDGE 24 was deliberately smaller in scale than previous iterations of the event and focused on autonomous collaborative behaviors of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), launched effects (LE), and unmanned ground vehicles.

“Our specific experimental objective was learning how launched effect surrogates behave on a network and off a network,” said Brig. Gen. Cain Baker, FVL CFT Director. “Based off a simulated enemy threat array, we allowed the launched effect surrogates to operate on a network and pass information back at extended ranges, then deliberately removed the network to see if the autonomy could continue. We experimented with that very specifically and had a lot of success in the information we captured and the behaviors we saw from platforms from multiple vendors that were out here.”

The behaviors within launched effects provide a decisive advantage to ground commanders, giving them the capability to extend the range of sensing and use machines instead of Soldiers to make first contact with an adversary. The Army is rapidly integrating layered UAS and LE across formations in a combined arms fight that is synchronized with fires and maneuver across phases to penetrate, exploit, and defeat near-peer adversaries in a complex environment.

“We know looking into the future that we are going to be operating in congested airspace: there will be a number of friendly and adversary platforms that will exist in that space,” said Brig. Gen. William Parker, Director of the Air and Missile Defense CFT. “Reducing the cognitive burden on the operator and helping us deconflict what is in the air with respect to friendly and adversary capabilities will go a long way in how we fight that small UAS threat while protecting friendly UAS in that same airspace.”

The FVL CFT sees EDGE providing the Army Futures Command an experimentation and demonstration platform to help deliver the Army of 2030 and design of Army of 2040, and has chosen U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) as its venue for the last two years. The proving ground’s clear, stable air and extremely dry climate combined with an ability to control a large swath of the radio frequency spectrum makes it a desired location for the type of testing EDGE was interested in: counter-unmanned aircraft solutions, extending network access, and flying autonomous and semi-autonomous aircraft. YPG’s wealth of other infrastructure meant for other sectors of the post’s test mission were utilized to support the demonstration, including technical and tactical targets.

“YPG was essential for us to have the simulated threat array to conduct the experiment in at echelon that would replicate an enemy capability that we would potentially face in the future,” said Baker. “YPG has the air space that allows us to operate at the distances we need and the instrumentation to collect the data to inform our requirements from an analytical standpoint.”

YPG’s deep institutional knowledge allowed the participating industry partners to run complex test scenarios each day across three weeks of demonstrations, and the event paid dividends that could inform the Army for years to come. One industry partner exercised autonomous collaboration between an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) and an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) through real-time aerial mapping of an urban environment to deliver a recommended route for the UGV to follow. Another successfully executed an automated target hand off between a UAS with a radio frequency sensor and a UAS with an electro optical infrared sensor. The demonstration also saw a long-range data communications relay of over 250 miles to execute a strike from a surrogate lethal long range launched effect.

“We’re seeing autonomy advance year after year when we do events like EDGE and Project Convergence,” said Baker. “If we operate these effects en masse, how do we offload the requirements for operators to control from one controller to one vehicle versus one controller for multiple vehicles? How do we share information about the battlefield rapidly and accurately, and how do we do that at extended ranges so crews can maximize the mission set they’re faced with?”

By Mark Schauer

Posted in Army, Guest Post, Robotics, UAS | Comments Off on EDGE of Innovation: EDGE 24 Concludes at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground

Army Announces Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport Inc. II Contract Awards

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

Detroit Arsenal, Mich. (Sept. 24, 2024) — The Army announced the award of two Other Transaction Authority Engineering and Manufacturing Design contracts today to American Rheinmetall Vehicles, LLC, and HDT Expeditionary Systems, Inc., totaling a combined $22 million to provide eight prototypes each of the Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport Increment II.

American Rheinmetall Vehicles’ S-MET Inc. II offering

HDT’s S-MET Inc. II offering

The S-MET was originally developed as a Directed Requirement meant to identify opportunities for the Army to quickly field existing platforms to improve the fighting force’s capability. The S-MET Increment I is a single radio-controlled, eight-wheeled platform designed to carry payload, generate power for organic electronic systems, and conduct unconstrained movement. In its first increment, the S-MET is capable of carrying 1,000 lbs. of equipment and provides enhanced capability primarily in Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Security Force Assistance Brigades.

The second increment seeks to double that payload capacity while adding several improvements identified by Solders during evaluation and operation. Those improvements include:

Higher exportable power to enable modern mission payloads like Unmanned Air Systems and communications equipment
Improved audio signature reduction
A dismounted wireless mesh communication network
Increased reliability
Worldwide grid charging
Modular and open architecture allowing for easier and more cost-effective upgrades

“S-MET Increment II addresses capability gaps associated with excessive physical burdens, recharging batteries during continuous operations, and reducing sustainment burden for semi-independent operations. The S-MET reduces Soldier load and enhances small unit combat effectiveness by reducing fatigue and injury caused by excessive physical loads, shifting the burden to the robotic platform,” said Kyle Bruner, the Army’s project manager for Force Projection, Program Executive Office Combat Support & Combat Service Support, headquartered here.

“S-MET supports the Army’s mission to implement robotic and autonomous system capabilities with urgency to lessen risk to Soldiers in multi-domain operations,” he added.

Successful S-MET Increment II developmental testing will lead to a production contract slated for late Fiscal Year 2027 for an Army Acquisition Objective of up to 2,195 systems.

By Sam Tricomo, Program Executive Office Combat Support & Combat Service Support

Posted in Army, Contracts, Guest Post, Mobility, Robotics | Comments Off on Army Announces Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport Inc. II Contract Awards

BAE Unveils Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Uncrewed Ground Vehicle at Land Forces

Thursday, September 12th, 2024

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – BAE Systems Australia has today unveiled a cutting-edge uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) that gives military commanders an added tactical option while keeping soldiers out of harm’s way.

The Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Collaborative Combat Variant (CCV), a new, cost effective, modular, 8×8 UGV, has been designed and built leveraging BAE Systems’ world-leading expertise in autonomous technology, armoured vehicles and in collaboration with industry partners.

The future battlefield will involve a mix of autonomous, semi-autonomous and human machine teams, generating combat mass and removing soldiers from many of the most dangerous tasks.

ATLAS CCV will operate using high levels of autonomy both on and off-road, complementing crewed counterparts such as infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks, at a lower cost. The vehicle incorporates existing, proven technologies to provide a cost-effective capability that is mission configurable and upgradable so that it continues to evolve to counter new and emerging technologies and threats.

BAE Systems is continuously exploring innovative technology that provides armed forces with a tactical advantage in an ever-changing battlespace. The autonomy system at the core of the ATLAS CCV will ‘drive’ the vehicle, avoid obstacles, route plan, and make tactical decisions.

Andrew Gresham, Managing Director – Defence Delivery at BAE Systems Australia, said:

“We’ve developed the ATLAS vehicle to give soldiers the advantage on the modern battlefield. This has resulted in an autonomous platform that will deliver the dull, dirty and dangerous tasks expected in a combat environment.

“ATLAS will enable the Australian Army to be fit to fight in the littoral environment. It will help the soldier outpace, out-manoeuvre and out-think conventional and unconventional threats.

“We have proven expertise in autonomous technologies, built on more than 30 years of complex autonomous projects. We’re excited that this is the first UGV of its kind to be developed in Australia and look forward to working with our industry partners to deliver this capability for our customers.”

ATLAS CCV is armed with a new, lightweight, affordable, highly automated medium calibre turret system called ‘VANTAGE’ ATS™’, designed for use on uncrewed platforms. Importantly, the turret is designed with a ‘human in-the-loop’ targeting system.

ATLAS CCV is easily transportable, designed to fit into a standard 20-foot ISO container or 20-foot ISO flat rack. It will also deliver a logistics multiplier effect for companion crewed platforms, effectively extending the combat endurance of vehicles currently in service.

BAE Systems has worked with partners including Supacat in the UK/Australia, Valhalla Turrets in Slovenia and Victorian manufacturer Marand to deliver ATLAS CCV.

www.baesystems.com/en-aus/atlas

Posted in International, Land Forces, Press Release, Robotics | Comments Off on BAE Unveils Autonomous Tactical Light Armour System (ATLAS) Uncrewed Ground Vehicle at Land Forces