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Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise

Last Update

 17 Jul 2008

1990

The Unmanned Ground Vehicle Joint Project Office Established

With the Congressionally directed consolidation, the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition & Technology), then USD (Acquisition), designated the Director, Land Warfare, Tactical Systems Directorate to lead the OSD Joint Robotics Program. OSD assumed responsibility for Program Element (PE) 0603709. The first goal of the Joint Robotics Program Coordinator was to consolidate activities and cut back on duplication of effort or programs where the technology was not mature enough to move forward.

Several activities took place in the first year of the Joint Robotics Program. The most significant was a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the US Army and US Marine Corps to establish a Joint Project Office, with the Army as the lead service and the Marine Corps providing a Colonel for Project Manager. The Joint Project Office was established at Redstone Arsenal, AL and would oversee the Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle program.

The mission of the Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) program was to develop, produce, and procure Unmanned Ground Vehicles. The TUGV combined the US Navy Ocean Systems Center's Teleoperated Vehicle (TOV) and US Army Missile Command's Teleoperated Mobile All-Purpose Platform (TMAP) programs into a single effort. The program would rely heavily on soldiers and Marines conducting military exercises with the prototype robotic systems to refine system and operational requirements before Full Scale Development.

The Joint Project Office received its first Milestone 0 decision after the Army and Marine Corps approved an Operational and Organizational (O&O) plan for the Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle. This was followed by a contract award to Robotics Systems Technology Inc. (RST) in December 1990 for fourteen Surrogate Teleoperated Vehicles (STV). These vehicles would provide the prototype robotic systems needed for user evaluation.

The Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology Enhancement and Exploitation Program (UGVTEE) was created to support technology development for unmanned ground systems. The program would focus on these key areas:

Training Wheels secured funding under the JRP as a specialized effort to support the National Training Center. Training Wheels sought to partially automate the opposing forces at the National Training Center in order to save personnel costs and to increase training realism. The concept had nine unmanned vehicles following a manned vehicle representing a second echelon OPFOR Company in convoy formation. Training Wheels was terminated as a program in 1991 based on affordability and changes in the Threat.

The US Air Force Engineering Services Center, Rapid Runway Repair (RRR) System received JRP funding. The RRR program worked to develop systems and equipment to restore and repair an air base runway within four hours after an enemy attack. With a robotic capability, the airmen could perform tasks from a safe distance to remove unexploded ordnance or continue working while under the threat of another attack. A John Deere platform was modified for robotic excavation in 1987; digging, level scraping, compacting, impact hammering, and automated tool changing had been demonstrated. The RRR was the only developmental program carried forward from 1989.

The Navy's EODTECHDIV at Indian Head, MD was designated as the joint agency to handle acquisition of all equipment to be developed for EOD units. Of the existing six unmanned ground system programs before consolidation, only the Remotely Controlled Reconnaissance Monitor (RECORM) continued as a system. All others were terminated. RECORM is a lightweight, two-man transportable system designed to provide EOD personnel the means to visually search for, identify, and determine the condition of unexploded ordnance from a remote and safe location.

In March 1990, the Remote Ordnance Neutralization Device (ROND) was created as a new program in response to an approved Operational Requirements Document (ORD), dated 26 February 1990. ROND was a teleoperated/teleassisted system that provided EOD personnel safe separation from hazardous accident/incident sites where explosive, chemical, or radiation risks are present. It was intended to replace Service peculiar teleoperated systems that have extremely limited operational capability and utility. ROND enabled EOD personnel to conduct EOD tasks such as neutralization of an explosive device from a safe distance.

1991

Air Force Research Laboratory

To safely sustain air operations, the runways must remain intact. Restoration of this operational capability after an air attack is vital. Dangerous post-attack conditions can make runway repair dangerous, such as scatter mines, follow-on attack, unexploded ordnance, and lethal chemical or biological agents.

The Rapid Runway Repair (RRR) System completed Phase 1, which consisted of concept definition development and a risk reduction study. This led to a Phase II contract award in November 1991 to Eagle-Picher Industries to design, develop, and fabricate a prototype platform. Phase II focused on component development for communications, navigation, runway damage detection and assessment, automotive, mission effecter (components designed for robotic use), control architecture, information processing, and system integration.

Work continued on the remote controlled John Deere excavator that was used as a test bed to apply technology as it matured. The Department of Energy expressed interest in this program for exploring buried waste retrieval.

Navy EODTECHDIV

The Remote Control Reconnaissance Monitor (RECORM) entered the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development phase. At this point, the program transitioned from the JRP back to the services for funding.

The Remote Ordnance Neutralization Device (ROND) program was renamed to Remote Ordnance Neutralization System (RONS) and entered the Demonstration and Validation phase (DEMVAL). To reduce risk, the program considered two acquisition strategies.

The first effort would design and develop a system to meet all the critical parameters stated in the operational requirements. The second effort would identify commercially available Non-Developmental Items (NDI) that could be integrated to meet system requirements. The NDI effort would be terminated later because of the complexity of integrating subsystems that did not meet operational requirements.

Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories in Richland, WA was awarded a contract in January 1991 to design, develop, and fabricate an Advanced Development Model that would meet the operational requirements for RONS. The functional baseline configuration was established by November 1991.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle/Systems Joint Project Office

The Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle program continued work on the Surrogate Teleoperated Vehicle (STV). Two systems were used to conduct safety and technical performance testing.

The STV was a follow-on to the previous TOV, designed to be a prototype system for supporting near-term development of technology and providing hands-on use of robotic systems to soldiers and Marines in order to define operational concepts for UGV's. The long-term objective of the TUGV program was to extend the operational capability of soldiers and Marines to perform Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) missions from safe positions.

The STV was small, lightweight, teleoperated, and could be transported by HMMWV or rotary/fixed wing aircraft. It was built on a six-wheel drive, All-Terrain Vehicle called "Big Boss."

Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology Enhancement and Exploitation (UGVTEE)

UGVTEE was created to support technology development for unmanned ground systems through concept development and system integration. The near and mid-term focus was to provide mission capabilities and technological enhancements for the TUGV program. The UGVTEE program would use demonstrations to introduce and evaluate this technology.

DEMO I was the first step towards fulfillment of the UGVTEE mission requirement. This effort was headed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and used five HMMWV's as demonstration vehicles. The primary purpose of DEMO I was to develop mature system components and technologies needed for the first generation of UGV's. The Demo evaluated several different areas such as: human factors (to alleviate workload and improve performance), various wide-band communications, RSTA mission packages, navigation, the effects on teleoperated and supervisory control for both day and night operations, and computer control architecture (to ease the integration of teleoperation and different payloads on the vehicle/system).

DEMO II was initiated with the Memorandum of Agreement between the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of the Deputy Director of Defense for Research and Engineering (DDR&E) Tactical Warfare Programs (TWP). This five-year agreement gave DARPA technical management of the program while TWP maintained oversight. However, both agencies would work together to promote the understanding and development of the program. The program would also take advantage of DARPA's previous work in artificial intelligence. DEMO II would work to develop the semi-autonomous capabilities needed for Unmanned Ground Vehicles.

1992

Air Force Research Laboratory

The Rapid Runway Repair (RRR) program moved into Component Development of the Demonstration and Validation Phase. The conceptual design called for a platform that weighs less than 50,000 lbs and can be operated by teleoperated/robotic means, accomplishing those tasks needed to repair damaged runways. The airman would operate the equipment by teleoperation from a Central Control Facility. Furthermore, the RRR program planned to use the robotic technology being developed in Demo I as it matured.

Navy EODTECHDIV

The Remote Ordnance Neutralization System (RONS) entered the Advanced System Development stage and began subsystem development.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle/Systems Joint Program Office

The Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) program completed the Concept of Employment Evaluation (COEE) using the Surrogate Teleoperated Vehicle (STV's) at Fort Hunter-Liggett, CA from February to March 1992. This event provided both soldiers and Marines an opportunity for hands-on experience with a robotic vehicle in order to develop operational tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP's), as well as a refinement of the Operational Requirements Document. Participants included representatives from the US Marine Corps, US Army Infantry, Armor, Field Artillery, Engineer, and Signal Schools.

UGV Technology Enhancement and Exploitation (UGVTEE)

The UGVTEE program successfully completed DEMO I with a series of demonstrations at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD during 28 April to 8 May 1992. The purpose was to demonstrate capabilities in five critical areas: navigation, system control architecture, mission package, communication, and human factors.

Two of the most critical technical issues were addressed in DEMO I: lowering communications bandwidth and reducing human/machine interface. The Feedback-Limited Control System (FELICS) allowed the soldier to set a path for the vehicle. The vehicle then drove itself without the soldier having to steer, throttle, or brake. This automation reduced communications bandwidth and operator workload.

The Unmanned Ground Vehicle/ Demo II program (UGV/Demo II) introduced its four year strategy in 1992. The program was a cooperative effort between the OSD and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and mature the technologies required for supervised autonomous vehicles capable of conducting scout missions with minimum human supervision. The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) would provide government program management of the program.

The UGV/Demo II program had three major components: Surrogate Semi-autonomous Vehicle (SSV), Multi-Vehicle Control unit, and the Mobile Support Laboratory. Program goals focused on autonomous navigation with emphasis on mobility and perception, automated target recognition to enhance the scout mission for reconnaissance and surveillance and to reduce human supervision of the SSV.

The program had three interim milestones: Demo A in 1993, Demo B in 1994 and Demo C in 1995. These demonstrations led to the final Demo II field exercise at Ft. Hood, TX in 1996.

Army - Product Manager, Physical Security Equipment (PM-PSE)

The Army approved the Mobile Detection Assessment and Response System (MDARS) Operational Requirement Document in January 1992. The MDARS program was initiated in 1989 and consisted of two systems: MDARS-Interior and MDARS-Exterior. The Physical Security Equipment program was designated as the program lead for the MDARS-Exterior system, an unmanned system providing fixed installation support. However, the Joint Robotics Program would follow its development closely. The program provided a significant opportunity for crossover and sharing of the many aspects associated with robotics. While there is also an Interior version, it was assumed at the time that the Exterior system would be more applicable to the other unmanned systems under the JRP.

1993

Joint Robotics Program Embraces Changes to National Security Strategies

With an end to the Cold War and lessons learned from Desert Storm, National Security priorities would change and focus on how to quickly deploy forces to meet the challenges of the New World. Light Forces must be capable of rapid deployment to hot spots armed with systems that are survivable but capable of providing lethal payloads to defeat the enemy. Casualties from friendly fire, the heavy use of landmines by Iraqi forces in Desert Storm, UXO disposal, and the ability to breach obstacles covered by enemy fire helped reinforce the needs for fielded robotic systems. The JRP recognized the needs of the Warfighters and reorganized to meet these challenges in 1993.

Air Force Research Laboratory

With the end of the Cold War and the change in national strategy, the Rapid Runway Repair moved from runway repair to environmental remediation and removing personnel from direct contact with hazards like toxins or unexploded ammunition. The program's name was changed to the Robotic Excavation Vehicle System (REVS).

The REVS program entered into Phase III of its development and continued to integrate components from DEMO I such as MAPS (modular azimuth positioning system), GPS, and obstacle avoidance capability.

Navy EODTECHDIV

The Remote Ordnance Neutralization System (RONS) continued development of subsystems and was expected to enter system integration by October 1993.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle/Systems Joint Project Office

The Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) Advanced System Development continued to focus on the many potential robotic applications that would be useful to the Infantry. The US Army Infantry School approved the TUGV ORD in June 1993. The Infantry sought a system that would provide the commander with valuable reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition/designation information. The system could be "combat expendable", for it would save lives or at least reduce exposure to danger by being the "first over the hill" or the first "out of the tree line". The decision was made not to have a combined MS I/II until final approval of the ORD. Tentative plans were made to start the Demonstration and Validation Phase in FY 94. The TUGV effort was broadened to bring together many of the existing unmanned systems under one umbrella: STV, TMAP, TOV, SANDIA's SARGE, and Gecko.

The Engineer Vehicle Teleoperation Capability (EVTC) was introduced to capitalize on the importance of teleoperation of existing engineer vehicles to conduct obstacle-breaching operations against minefields, earthworks, or bunkers. This program would work towards a generic Teleoperation kit that could be applied to any wheeled or tracked vehicle in the Army's inventory.

The US Army Engineer Center staffed a Mission Need Statement (MNS) to address these needs. It captured experiences from Desert Storm and work that had been initiated up to that time. US Army Training and Doctrine Command approved the MNS in February. In addition, the US Marine Corps' Joint Countermine (JCM) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program was initiated. Under the JCM, the Joint Amphibious Mine Countermeasures (JAMC) would explore ways to clear beachheads of mines and obstacles. JAMC would be a shared effort, using Air Force test sites and facilities at Tyndall AFB and UGV/S JPO technology.

UGV Technology Enhancement and Exploitation Program

The UGV Demo II program met its first milestone, Demo A, at Martin Marietta Astronautics facility near Waterton, CO on 7-8 July 1993. Demo A demonstrated basic system operation and precision navigation on a single vehicle while conducting a movement-to-contact and bounding overwatch operation in a military scenario.

The Surrogate Semi-autonomous Vehicle (SSV) successfully conducted road following on both paved and dirt roads using the Autonomous Land Vehicle in a Neural Network (ALVINN) road-following algorithm, achieving a road speed of 10 mph. Cross-country teleoperated waypoint navigation was done using STRIPE (supervised telerobotics using incremental polygonal earth geometry). The operator selected a path based on a 2-D image, which is translated into 3-D points for the SSV. The SSV would use waypoint teleoperation for off-road navigation and for making hairpin turns on roads. The ALVINN was used for road-following navigation on both paved and dirt roads. At selected points, the SSV would pull off the road and the operator would conduct a RSTA mission by teleoperation. Images of the terrain were transmitted back to operator workstation. Carnegie Mellon University provided the ALVINN and STRIPE capabilities.

Army - Product Manager, Physical Security Equipment (PM-PSE)

The updated Mobile Detection Assessment Response System (MDARS) ORD was approved by the US Army Material Command (AMC) in June 1993. The UGV/S JPO and PM-PSE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU established a framework for the two project offices to take advantage of the hardware and software developed by the Joint Robotics Program. More importantly, the JRP would share funding cost for the robotic portion of this program.

The MDARS-Exterior program officially commenced in FY93. A Cost Benefit Analysis estimated an average savings of $6 million per site over a ten-year period for installations using MDARS-E. In the spring of 1993, a Broad Area Announcement (BAA) contract was awarded to Robotic Systems Technology (RST) in Westminster, MD for the development of two brassboard outdoor mobility platforms equipped with autonomous navigation, collision avoidance, and intruder detection capabilities for the MDARS-E system.

The PM-PSE procured eight K2A platforms from Cybermotion Inc. in Roanoke, VA for advance prototyping of the MDARS-I system and established an operational test bed at a Camp Elliot warehouse in San Diego, CA. By October 1993, extensive testing and evaluation had begun in an actual semi-structured warehouse environment at Camp Elliot. Cost Benefit Analysis estimated an average savings of $8 million per site over a ten-year period for installations using MDARS-I.

1994

The first General Officer Steering Committee (GOSC) was conducted in January. Its purpose was to acquaint participants with the Joint Robotics Program and solicit support for the introduction of robotics and unmanned ground systems in support of military forces.

Air Force Research Laboratory

In FY 93, Congress mandated that a performance baseline for commercially available systems be established that could provide solutions to the clean-up of toxic waste, weapon debris, and unexploded ordnance at both current and closed sites for DoD and DoE locations.

To tackle this problem, the US Army Environmental Center established a program to demonstrate and evaluate technology for UXO detection, identification, and remediation. The Navy EODTECHDIV was designated the technical lead and began preparing a 120 acre controlled site at Jefferson Proving Ground to evaluate different systems. The US DoE Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) was also intiaited.

Wright Laboratory and the Navy EODTECHDIV automated a John Deere 690C Excavator as part of the Area Clearance program. In June 1994, the system made eight evaluation runs. The excavator moved autonomously to a specific point (proposed buried ordnance). Once it arrived at the position, the airman could operate the excavator by teleops to safely remove the ordnance. The system achieved an average position error of 2.2 feet from the specific point and an average one-degree orientation error.

Robotic Excavation Vehicle System (REVS) continued efforts to meet this challenge to safely dispose of UXO's. Testing continued on their test bed that weighs less than 60,000 pounds, utilizes an INS/GPS, has a Versabus Module Eurocard based computer system for onboard control of autonomous functions, and has an end-effector system with multiple tools to accomplish various tasks. The robotic arm of this system is capable of a 30-foot reach and a 20-foot dig depth.

Work started on the Autonomous Survey Vehicle that will carry sensor arrays to locate buried ordnance. The ASV utilized a John Deere Gator, all-terrain vehicle to pull a trailer with ground penetrating radars and magnetometers to locate unexploded ordnance.

Navy EODTECHDIV

Subsystem development and integration continued on the Remote Ordnance Neutralization System (RONS). The RONS will consist of an operator control system, a mobile platform, and a television display monitor. It can be operated by either RF or tethered FO communication link and by a manipulator arm with end effector that uses various tools. These tools can be changed robotically via the master control and stored on the mobile platform, such as 50 caliber dearmer, rocket and mechanical impact wrenches, and other hand tools.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle/Systems Joint Project Office

The Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV) continued concept exploration and definition. Three new concept platforms were introduced: Surveillance and Reconnaissance Ground Equipment (SARGE), Gecko, and Technology Test Bed (TTB).

Surveillance and Reconnaissance Ground Equipments (SARGE) was developed by Sandia's Advanced Vehicle Development Dept. 5516 as a direct descendent of Sandia's Dixie robot. Dixie was built in 1988 with a computer processor and a 1200-baud radio link that resulted in a 75-millisecond delay between the operator control box and the remote platform.

The SARGE reduced this processing gap to 20ms. It also provided a roll cage, four video cameras (two for surveillance and two for driving) attached to a pan/tilt mechanism, and used a commercial four-wheeler, Yamaha Breeze platform. SUMMA Technologies in Huntsville, AL built the new units, and SANDIA provided technical assistance. The SARGE provided a small lightweight platform for the Warfighters to use in conducting reconnaissance missions and developing operational requirements.

The Engineer Vehicle Teleoperation Capability (EVTC) program awarded a 24-month SBIR in October 1993 to build a standardized teleoperation design to be installed on five systems (four D7G bulldozers and one M1 main battle tank chassis). The SBIR results would be applied to the Joint Amphibious Mine Countermeasures (JAMC) Advance Technology Demonstration. The JAMC program would use teleoperated D7G dozers to breach obstacles in amphibious operations. The Headquarters of the Department of the Army validated the VTC MNS in April.

The UGV/S JPO took a big step to establish a software architecture for Unmanned Ground Vehicles that would allow technologies from different systems to be integrated together. The Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Systems (JAUGS) was initiated to lay the groundwork for this effort.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology Enhancement and Exploitation Program

The UGV/Demo II program met its second milestone. Demo B was conducted at Martin Marietta Astronautics facility near Waterton, CO on 28-30 June 1994. The Surrogate Semi-autonomous Vehicle, in a supervised-autonomous mode, successfully transitioned from road-following on a dirt road to road-following on a paved road and then to a cross-country route without stopping. The SSV covered a 1.5-mile course, achieving speeds of 12 to 15 mph on roads.

In the cross-country mode, the SSV transmitted target data back to the operator. Using the on-board FLIR, the operator successfully tracked a moving target and relayed target information to an attack helicopter. The SSV was able to detect and maneuver around large rocks that were encountered on the planned path.

Army - Product Manager, Physical Security Equipment (PM-PSE)

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) approved a Mission Need Statement (MNS) in February 1994 for the Mobile Detection Assessment Response System. The PM-PSE conducted a program design review for the MDARS-E. The contractor, Robotics Systems Technology, built the first preliminary MDARS-Exterior platform in October 1994.