SBIR/STTR Award attributes
The up-and-coming Pioneer unit is seeking a “Swiss Army knife” type unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that can keep Marines out of harm’s way, significantly reduce the equipment required to complete a diverse mission set, reduce the burden on the Marines, and act as a workforce multiplier for each unit. To support the Pioneer effort, Marine Corps System Command (MCSC) is pursuing solutions that combine a highly capable off-road vehicle platform with a widely configurable universal attachment arm in a package that is transportable in a V-22 aircraft. Stratom proposes to develop a novel unmanned vehicle specifically for the Pioneer mission. The platform will maximize accessory tool compatibility and ease of use while balancing durability, transportability, and cost. Out of the box, Stratom’s REAPr will be rapidly deployable from a V-22, compatible with dozens of industry-standard COTS attachments, and will be dead simple to operate remotely. The system will be designed to be highly configurable and compatible with an extensive library of universal COTS accessories to enable expeditionary trail and mine clearance, construction, repair, and logistics missions. Building off Stratom’s portfolio of off-road autonomous vehicles, our proposed REAPr platform would be optionally controlled through a tablet device teleoperatively, semi-autonomously, or fully autonomously. For example, a trail clearance CONOPS would entail a user tasking the REAPr to autonomously pick up a forestry mulcher and then drive along a predetermined path using autonomous waypoint navigation. A remotely operated marking tool (for example, a mechanically actuated can of spray paint) could physically mark the path for users to safely follow. At the conclusion of the route clearing maneuver, the REAPr could automatically retrace its steps to return itself to a secure location. A similar CONOPS for airfield repair could entail the vehicle autonomously attaching a bucket accessory and driving to a GPS waypoint to meet a crew repairing an airfield crater. Marines could teleoperatively control the REAPr to pick up debris and then dispatch the vehicle to autonomously drop the bucket’s load at a safe distance away. The system could then drive itself back to the repair team or autonomously drive to a depot to swap the bucket for a roller brush attachment and autonomously brush the construction area to clear it for aircraft. A simple preprogrammed formation over an area could ensure it is sufficiently cleaned of debris. Similar missions could be executed in order to create area terrain maps or complete logistics operations. In each step of these example CONOPS, simple autonomous behaviors (i.e., tool changing, basic tool operation, and waypoint navigation) can be strung together to provide a “mission set” that significantly reduces the burden on the warfighter compared to traditional equipment that requires constant attention and babysitting for operation.
