US Army demos driverless trucks

The US Army recently demonstrated a fully autonomous convoy of trucks and other vehicles in both urban and rural settings

The prospect of driverless trucks took another step closer to reality last month, when the US Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and aerospace, defence and security technology specialist Lockheed Martin demonstrated an autonomous convoy of military vehicles at Fort Hood, Texas.

A part of the Army and Marine Corps Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS) program, the demonstration saw numerous driverless vehicles negotiating a variety of hazards and obstacles – including pedestrians, roundabouts, oncoming traffic and both passing and stalled vehicles – in both rural and urban environments.

The technology at the heart of the program combines sophisticated software with a LIDAR sensor, which constantly takes measurements of the surrounding environment with laser beams, and a GPS receiver. The resulting unit is called an Unmanned Mission Module, and the US Army says it can be fitted to virtually any military vehicle.

In the instance of the recent demonstration, the technology was fitted to a number of the US Army’s 14-tonne M915 trucks and Palletized Loading System (PLS) vehicles.

According to the AMAS program manager for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, David Simon, the demonstration was a resounding success.

“The AMAS hardware and software performed exactly as designed and dealt successfully with all of the real-world obstacles that a real-world convoy would encounter,” he said.

The technical manager for TARDEC, Bernard Theisen, was also thrilled with the outcome.

“We are very pleased with the results of the demonstration, because it adds substantial weight to the Army’s determination to get robotic systems into the hands of the warfighter.”

US Army demos driverless trucks

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