Scott Nicholas
AM General and the U.S. Army‘s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center have teamed up to develop an autonomous driving vehicle that would transport equipment, soldiers and supplies inside military bases.
The project is part of the Applied Robotics for Installations and Base Operations program that explores the potential of robotic technology to address transportation challenges at U.S. military facilities, AM General said Wednesday.
TARDEC and AM General are slated to commence demonstrations of the new autonomous driving vehicle this spring to evaluate the platform’s capacities in a semi-controlled environment at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
The company noted that the tests will cover assessments on the acceptance of robotic systems by government users and non-users, energy efficiency, navigation and mapping capacity, time and money savings, vehicle safety and reliability.
“The West Point demonstration uses AM General’s vehicle to not only demonstrate an autonomy kit, but to highlight the idea of robotics for military and civilian use,” said Alex Jimenez, project leader for TARDEC’s ARIBO program.
