Legged Squad Support System is sponsored by DARPA and manufactured by Boston Dynamics. MCWL will begin to conduct a series of Limited Technical Assessments later this year to begin to learn more about how this technology works with the Squad. This model weighs about 1200 lbs and carries 400 lbs. It’s also smarter and quieter than previous technologies.
The real win here is the Tactical Robotics Controller. Finally, there’s a common, government defined architecture that will control all tactical ground and some small unit air vehicles. Since the interfaces are nonproprietary, there will be one controller and all robotics vendors will build to this standard. The project has been so successful that both the Army and Marine Corps are teaming up to produce a CDD to turn this into a program of record.
The benefits are huge. TRC lowers cost, streamlines training and logistics and offers increased utility. For example, if a ground robot’s controller goes down, any other TRC can be used to take over.
Future developments include dual screens to allow the simultaneous control of two robots.
