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Jesus Malverde

(10,274 posts)
Fri Jan 31, 2014, 02:53 PM Jan 2014

Driverless Trucks Will Keep Army Safe From IEDs

U.S. Army convoys will soon be able to roll into even the roughest of unfriendly foreign urban areas and combat zones without the worry of loss of life, thanks to new technology that will make large vehicles fully autonomous.

In demonstrations earlier this month at Fort Hood, Texas, the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and Lockheed Martin demonstrated the ability of the Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS), which gives full autonomy to convoys to operate in urban environments. In tests, driverless tactical vehicles were able to navigate hazards and obstacles including pedestrians, oncoming traffic, road intersections, traffic circles and stalled and passing vehicles.

Under an initial $11 million contract in 2012, Lockheed Martin developed the multiplatform kit which integrates low-cost sensors and control systems with Army and Marine tactical vehicles to enable autonomous operation in convoys. According to Lockheed, AMAS also gives drivers an automated option to alert, stop and adjust, or take full control under user supervision.

“The AMAS CAD hardware and software performed exactly as designed, and dealt successfully with all of the real-world obstacles that a real-world convoy would encounter,” said David Simon, AMAS program manager for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, in a statement.

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2014/01/driverless/

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Driverless Trucks Will Keep Army Safe From IEDs (Original Post) Jesus Malverde Jan 2014 OP
Another application of drone technology. Agnosticsherbet Jan 2014 #1
Disrupting supply lines is just as effective as killing soldiers. rrneck Jan 2014 #2
Don't know--also don't know about mechanical issues. TwilightGardener Jan 2014 #3
The problem is that unless sensors are developed that can scan deep into ground, rocks bluestate10 Jan 2014 #4

rrneck

(17,671 posts)
2. Disrupting supply lines is just as effective as killing soldiers.
Fri Jan 31, 2014, 02:59 PM
Jan 2014

Would these convoys have troops to defend them?

TwilightGardener

(46,416 posts)
3. Don't know--also don't know about mechanical issues.
Fri Jan 31, 2014, 03:05 PM
Jan 2014

My husband was in a small convoy that stopped because a vehicle turned out to have a clogged air filter, which they promptly changed. Not sure how it would work if something went wrong that needed fixing in an automated truck.

bluestate10

(10,942 posts)
4. The problem is that unless sensors are developed that can scan deep into ground, rocks
Fri Jan 31, 2014, 03:05 PM
Jan 2014

steel and concrete, some soldiers will still die or be seriously injured because of IEDs, although not as many as at the height of deaths from IEDs. Terrorists that know how to set up IEDs know that they have to control when those devices explode. They will simply wait until a truck or personnel carrier with troops in it come over or near the IED before setting it off. The technology is good because trucks that are carrying fuel or explosives can be Drone driven.

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