New UAS-UGV teaming demo
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Sikorsky have participated in a joint autonomy demonstration to prove the capability of new ground-air cooperative missions, CMU announced on 20 January.
The team used a UH-60MU Black Hawk helicopter enabled with Sikorsky’s Matrix Technology autonomy kit, and CMU’s Land Tamer Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) for the demonstration.
The aircraft picked the UGV and flew a 12 mile route, delivered it to a ground location and released it.
Using its onboard chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) sensors to detect simulated dangers, the UGV autonomously navigated for over six miles, delivering information to a remote ground station. It was teleoperated to explore dangerous sites in detail when neccessary.
The collaboration demonstrated the effectiveness of unmanned systems in addressing logistics needs in dangerous and unknown environments, with the aim of preventing warfighters’ exposure to dangerous conditions such as radiologically or chemically contaminated areas.
Paul Rogers, director, US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), said: ‘The teaming of UAVs and UGVs, as demonstrated here, has enormous potential to bring the future ground commander an adaptable, modular, responsive and smart capability that can evolve as quickly as needed to meet a constantly changing threat. The cooperative effort between the army labs, academia and industry to bring solutions to the warfighter is exciting to see.’
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