Army Sees Progress with Leader-Follower Vehicle Technology

1/21/2022
By Yasmin Tadjdeh

The Army is attempting to leverage robotics and other capabilities to enable its “leader-follower” concept for vehicle convoys. After years of work, the Army has made strides in developing the technology.

At the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, roadside bombs planted by insurgents maimed and killed servicemembers and civilians alike, targeting vehicle convoys ferrying troops and supplies to bases.

To deal with the threat more immediately, the military invested billions of dollars into uparmored, mine-resistant vehicles that could withstand blasts better. At the same time, it kicked off an ongoing, long-term effort to build autonomous “leader-follow” tech that could cut down on the number of soldiers in harm’s way in future fights as well as free up troops for other tasks.

The service is demonstrating progress. It has tested its leader-follower autonomy software at events such as Project Convergence 2021, where the Army tried out technology that can support its offering for the Pentagon’s joint all-domain command and control concept. Additional work is being conducted at bases such as Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

The Army has primarily been using what it calls palletized load systems, or PLS, unmanned follower vehicles, during its experiments, said Maj. Benjamin Hormann, expedient leader-follower project officer at Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center. Soldiers from the 41ST Transportation Company currently own 60 M1075 PLS trucks that are equipped with an autonomy system.

“The unit received new equipment training over two years ago and has implemented a ‘train-the-trainer’ strategy in order to maintain proficiency throughout the year,” he said in an email. “This unit provides real-time feedback to software developers and engineers that get them the capability they want/need very quickly.”

The vehicles are currently using a software version known as LF 1.3.

The Ground Vehicle Systems Center is employing what it calls an “engineering in the dirt concept” where soldier feedback is run through an agile software sprint to develop and update the system every 90 days, Hormann said. Meanwhile, the unit also provides information so requirements and doctrine can be updated.

The Army showed off its expedient leader-follower technology at the service’s Project Convergence exercise at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, this past fall, he said. The annual experiment has been called a “campaign of learning” by officials and is meant to contribute to the Pentagon’s JADC2 effort, which aims to better link sensors and platforms into an operating network.

At Project Convergence, officials employed two versions of its autonomy software and completed more than 3,000 miles of robotics testing, Hormann said. The autonomy system was tested on palletized load system trucks, the cold weather all-terrain vehicle and the logistics vehicle system replacement platform.

The Army plans to test leader-follower technology at Project Convergence 2022 with an autonomous missile launcher demonstrator as part of an effort with Army Futures Command’s long-range precision fires cross-functional team and DEVCOM’s Aviation and Missile Center, Hormann said.

Meanwhile, the service recently completed the final increment of capability improvements for its expedient leader-follower program, he said.
For example, the service merged existing autonomy software with a government-owned Robotic Technology Kernel, he said. RTK is the Army’s library of modular software packages that can be used for common ground autonomy software. The software is based on what is known as the Robotic Open System Architecture-Military.

The most recent increment also developed a feature known as “assembly and disassembly” where autonomous PLS trucks could form into a column formation based on orders from a user, as well as “park” the platforms into a line, whether it be from front-to-back or side-to-side, he added.

Another new capability is a “retrotraverse” feature with trailers, which allows the PLS vehicle to reverse and employs what Hormann called a “pin-and-pin-out function.”

This capability allows “the warfighter to back up an autonomous convoy with a trailer without having to get out and put the trailer traversing table locking pin in,” he explained.

Coming up next for the leader-follower program is Army Test and Evaluation Command safety testing for maturation of its software version 2.0 system.

Over the next two years, the 41st Transportation Company is set to participate in three Collective Training Center exercises with leader-follower technology, Hormann added.

The GVSC and product management office for robotic autonomous systems also plan to further mature the technology’s software and hardware, he noted. This includes increased reliability and further hardening of the system.

The Army is currently using a “buy, try, decide” procurement model and a mid-tier acquisition rapid fielding approach when it comes to acquiring the systems, he said.

“There will be a later decision point to increase capability and mass produce the optionally manned leader-follower system for the PLS program of record,” Hormann noted.

The Army has been working on autonomous military vehicles since 1999, he said. Some of the platforms the technology has been tested on includes Humvees, HX60 tactical trucks, RG-31 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, medium tactical vehicle replacement systems, M915 tractor trucks, medium tactical vehicles, LMTV light utility trucks and heavy equipment transporters.

More recently, the autonomy hardware and software systems developed through the Ground Vehicle Systems Center include the palletized load system, the cold weather all-terrain vehicle, the high mobility artillery rocket system as well as the Marine Corps’ logistics vehicle system replacement platform and the Corps’ Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Rouge Fires variant, Hormann said.

One company that has been working with the Army on leader-follower technology is Clarksburg, Maryland-based Robotic Research.

In 2018, the Army awarded the firm a three-year, $49.7 million contract to provide autonomy kits for large convoy resupply vehicles as part of the expedient leader-follower program. Robotic Research has had its participation extended with various National Advanced Mobility Consortium contract vehicles, said Jim Frelk, the company’s senior vice president. It is currently offering the service technical support on the expedient leader-follower effort.

The organization has been working alongside vehicle manufacturers such as Oshkosh Defense to outfit platforms with its leader-follower autonomy software in places such as Fort Polk, Fort Sill and Camp Grayling, Michigan, for testing. The company provides the autonomy software and Oshkosh provides the drive-by-wire kit for the vehicles, he said.

The company has been working on capabilities such as “safe harbor” features, he noted. Safe harbor functions tell platforms what they should do if there is an attack or breakdown in the systems’ sensors.

Leader-follower technology has matured substantially over the years and is at a point where it can now be deployed, Frelk said. “The basic software … that has been demonstrated, in our opinion, doesn’t have a lot left to do before you begin to deploy it.”

However, there are still some challenges and room for improvement. These include the hardening of sensors and better integration between the vehicles and the onboard equipment, he said.

There are typically seven or eight vehicles in an autonomous convoy, Frelk said. They are all equipped with an autonomy kit and any of the vehicles can take over as the “leader” platform.

“There’s no requirement today that there will be a specific vehicle designated” as the lead platform, he noted.

Robotic Research is also working with the Army, the German Federal Ministry of Defence and Rheinmetall to support leader-follower technology with partner nations.

The U.S. Army wants “to expand this capability and make it interoperable with other vehicles … for convoy operations with allied forces,” he said.

While the Pentagon has shifted its focus from counterinsurgency operations to great power competition with adversaries Russia and China, Frelk said there is still a need for leader-follower technology.

“There is still going to be vulnerabilities to convoy operations and [a desire to] to reduce the number of deaths and improve … the functionality of moving things rapidly,” he said. “Leader-follower is going to be useful.”

Additionally, the autonomy packages that are being tested with the leader-follower program are not just relevant for convoy operations, Frelk said. The program has an impact on other vehicles including combat systems.

The same “autonomy kit that’s proved out on leader-follower is being deployed on other systems that are weaponized systems,” he said.

“Think of it as a springboard to combat vehicles and other vehicles being able to operate in GPS-denied environments autonomously.”

The basic software stack is portable and can be used with a variety of systems, but different platforms may require separate sensors, he noted.

For example, the autonomy needed for off-road operations will be different compared to on-road ops.

“It’s a tweaking of the system, not a whole new system,” he explained.

Besides working with the Army, Robotic Research also has contracts with other Defense Department components such as the Defense Logistics Agency, Frelk said. Last year, DLA awarded the company a contract to develop an unmanned autonomous guided vehicle to tow loaded carts inside and outside warehouses.

DLA has 20 storage sites and more than 570 warehouses, according to a Robotic Research press release. The development of the AGV could lead to follow-on contracts for as many as 100 vehicles.

The company is also working with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency on counter-weapons of mass destruction efforts, Frelk said.
Meanwhile, in late 2021 Robotic Research completed a $228 million Series A funding round to expand its commercial offerings. That will bear fruit for the military, Frelk said.

“The government gets to benefit from the number of miles that are being driven with similar autonomy capability and the lessons learned there,” he said.

Topics: Army News, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Robotics

Robotic Research, cofounded in 2002 by CEO Alberto Lacaze and vice president Karl Murphy, is expanding its self-driving technology from military and defense uses into the needs of buses, trucks, and logistics through its commercial division, RR.AI. But Lacaze said what separates it from the other players tackling autonomous trucks for use on public roads is its focus on less regulated sectors. This includes off-road or dirt-road trucks, shuttles, and military and agricultural vehicles.

"There's a lot of applications you can deploy like that without having to fight regulators," Lacaze told Insider. "We are concentrating on those areas because they are the markets that are available right now."

SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Enlightenment Capital-led investment will enable the company’s commercial division, RR.AI, to scale and provide an end-to-end autonomy solution for transportation and logistics markets.

"Our plan is to out deploy most companies, at least in the verticals that we're working on," Lacaze added.

NFI and Robotic Research sign agreement to bring Automated Driving Systems to North American Transit Agencies

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF) NFI Group Inc. (“NFI” or the “Company”), a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in mobility solutions, today announced an agreement with Robotic Research, LLC (“Robotic Research”) to increase the deployment of advanced driver-assistance systems (“ADAS”) in transit agency fleets across North America.

The agreement expands the partnership between New Flyer of America Inc. (“New Flyer”, an NFI subsidiary) and Robotic Research originally announced in 2019, and builds on the unveiling of North America’s first automated transit bus, the Xcelsior AV™, to pursue integration of Robotic Research’s AutoDrive^® technology into new and existing public transit vehicles. The technology, which will incorporate Society of Automotive Engineers (“SAE”) Standard J3016 capabilities up to Level 4, will add ADAS features to help prevent pedestrian and cyclist collisions. Ultimately, automated vehicles (“AVs”) will contribute to improving road safety and lending the potential to shorten commute times, increase energy efficiency, and reduce congestion.

“For decades NFI has been a global leader in mass mobility, and we continue to lead the industry in the evolution and deployment of EV and AV technology,” said Paul Soubry, President and Chief Executive Officer, NFI. “Through our four pillar approach to mobility solutions – including buses and coaches, infrastructure, connected technology, and workforce development – we are enabling the new mobility era. Expanding our AV capabilities is a critical part of that vision and fits with our strategy to invest in high-growth areas.”

“Completing development of the first Xcelsior AV with Robotic Research demonstrates our continued leadership in innovation, and our commitment to developing and testing the best technology available,” said Chris Stoddart, President, North America Bus and Coach. “Our ADAS vision has always been to improve safety, efficiency, and accessibility through innovation, and, together with Robotic Research, we intend to expand AV capabilities across our full suite of public transit vehicles in North America.”

In addition to preventing collisions, Robotic Research’s AutoDrive^® technology enables precision docking, enabling the bus to maneuver within inches of the level boarding platforms, increasing access for passengers with disabilities in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) rules. The technology can also enable “leader-follower” behavior, where multiple buses can be electronically linked together to help ease congestion at peak transit times.

“Our expanded partnership with NFI demonstrates a joint commitment to improving roadway safety by enabling technology to assist transit operators,” said Alberto Lacaze, President of Robotic Research. “The agreement will also help transit authorities save money by detecting and preventing accidents before they occur, which will address a major cost of insurance for transit agencies overall.”

The agreement marks NFI’s next stage of investment in ADAS technology, building on the completion of New Flyer’s Xcelsior AV™ unveiled in January 2021, New Flyer’s history-making pilot project with the Connecticut Department of Transportation (funded by the FTA's Integrated Mobility Innovation initiative), and New Flyer's launch of its Automated Technology Program first announced in May 2019.

Robotic Research is a U.S.-based, global leader in technology specializing in autonomy and platooning solutions for commercial and defense customers. Founded in 2002, the Company has been a trusted technology partner to the public and private sector for nearly twenty years, driven to make the way people move smarter, safer, and more efficient. For more information about Robotic Research, visit rr.ai.

NFI is a leader in zero-emission mobility, with electric vehicles operating or on order in more than 80 cities in five countries. Today, NFI supports growing North American cities with scalable, clean, and sustainable mobility solutions through a four-pillar approach that includes buses and coaches, technology, infrastructure, and workforce development. It also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center (“VIC”), the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus and coach technology and providing workforce development. Since opening late 2017, the VIC has hosted over 300 interactive events, welcoming 3,000 industry professionals for EV and infrastructure training. For more information, visit newflyer.com/VIC.

About NFI

Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world. With zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and technology, NFI meets today’s urban demands for scalable smart mobility solutions. Together, NFI is enabling more livable cities through connected, clean, and sustainable transportation.

With 8,000 team members in nine countries, NFI is a leading global bus manufacturer of mass mobility solutions under the brands New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), MCI^® (motor coaches), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™. NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems available, including zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and clean diesel. In total, NFI supports its installed base of over 105,000 buses and coaches around the world. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information is available at www.nfigroup.com, www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.arbocsv.com, www.alexander-dennis.com, and www.nfi.parts.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management regarding New Flyer’s and NFI’s strategic initiatives, plans, business prospects and opportunities, including the future existence and growth of a market for advanced driver-assistance systems (“ADAS”) in transit vehicles and the economic, efficiency, reduction in street congestion, safety and other benefits arising therefrom. The words “believes”, “views”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “expects”, “intends”, “projects”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “guidance” and “targets”, “may”, “will”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward looking statements.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including, market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase vehicles with ADAS; ADAS technology currently in existence has not yet been fully developed and tested for use in transit vehicle applications; ADAS vehicle regulations and standards have not yet been developed and implemented to permit fully autonomous transit vehicles to be operated in revenue service; there may not be sufficient customer demand for transit vehicles with ADAS, or at all, in order to commence or maintain the manufacture of such products; the expected economic, efficiency improvements, safety and other benefits described in this release for the communities, customers and passengers that operate and ride on transit vehicles with ADAS may not be as great as those anticipated or may not be realized at all; and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to the potential impact of these factors, NFI and New Flyer disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Lindy Norris
P: 320.406.3386
Lindy_Norris@newflyer.com

For investor inquiries, please contact:
Stephen King
P: 204.224.6382
Stephen.King@nfigroup.com

ABRT: Reducing Congestion, Costs while Improving Safety, Efficiency

Automated Bus Rapid Transit represents an innovation that promises to reduce operating costs while delivering benefits, but support is needed from transit agencies and policymakers.

Mass Transit Magazine

Alberto Lacaze

Jun 8th, 2021

In June 2020, the Connecticut Department of Transportation announced plans to test North America's first full size automated transit bus project.

CTDOT

Municipal transit authorities are struggling with a variety of issues, including aging infrastructure and declining ridership. Transit authorities are at a transformative point. The question is whether they use the same existing service model or embrace technology to help solve many of their problems. I believe transit authorities should embrace this transformational tipping point to embrace technology as it will make them more efficient, easier to operate and improve the quality of service, all while cutting operating costs.

Automated Bus Rapid Transit (ABRT) is a technology solution that promises to reduce operating costs while delivering benefits such as reducing headway, improving on-time service, providing better passenger safety and offering easier access for handicapped passengers. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is being added in new bus models or retrofitted to existing bus fleets to provide automated features such as collision avoidance, lane assist, precision docking and other features to assist bus drivers.

ARBT also requires action from policymakers. Policymakers need to dedicate funding, which has and remains an issue for all transit authorities, but they must also take action by creating dedicated bus lanes and synchronized traffic controls. Once established, bus platooning technology makes it easier to scale service to accommodate more passengers when needed. Platooning also can improve safety by spreading passengers among multiple buses to maintain social distancing to prevent COVID-19 exposure.

ABRT promises to improve bus transit in various ways, but there are three primary areas where automation can have a real impact on transit service: increasing efficiency, optimizing costs and improving safety.

How ABRT Increases Transit Efficiency

Recent research from the Eno Center for Transportation titled, “A Budding Model: Los Angeles's Flower Street Bus Lane,” shows the benefit of installing bus lanes. Eno studied the effects of a 1.8-mile, peak hour bus lane installed by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro), in partnership with the

Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). Although installed as a temporary measure to address traffic delays due to rail station closures, it had a big impact. Specifically, the research found:

“[T]he bus lane greatly improved mobility, accounting for more than 80 percent of people moving in the corridor, or around 10,000 bus riders a day during the peak-hour period. Person-throughput increased 37 percent compared to pre-traffic conditions with limited reduction of the capacity in general use lanes for private vehicles. Two-thirds of bus customers and two-thirds of operators reported time savings. This perceived time savings is consistent with observed travel times, which improved up to 30 percent throughout the corridor.”

Keep in mind, this was not with an automated bus.

Automated buses are ideal for fixed-route bus systems that operate 50 percent or more of their route on a dedicated guideway. These systems tend to have defined passenger stations, traffic signal priority and a short headway providing bidirectional services during peak hours on weekdays.

For example, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is testing automated technology on its CTfastrak bus rapid transit corridor, one of its most heavily traveled routes between New Britain and Hartford. The CTDOT system uses an express bus lane for its CTfastrak service, which makes it a good candidate for automated bus technology. New Flyer buses equipped with Robotic Research’s AutoDrive® advanced driver-assistance system are being placed into service to automate features such as steering, which reduces operator stress. Incorporating a drive-by-wire system to automate control of the brakes, steering and throttle enables automated lane-keeping that helps drivers keep buses centered in the lane. This can be a real stress-reducer for operators and a technology that makes narrower lanes more practical.

Connected vehicle communications also opens new possibilities to increase passenger capacity while controlling costs. Bus platooning, sometimes called “leader-follower,” can be used to create bus platoons to increase capacity during peak times, making it possible to move more buses while reducing headway. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is experimenting with platooning to increase rush-hour capacity on the approach to Lincoln Tunnel.

Greater Cost Efficiencies with ABRT

Adopting ABRT offers transit authorities many cost-saving benefits, as well, especially when compared to alternative strategies such as light rail. Automated buses don’t need a dedicated rail system or a dedicated right of way. Buses can use the existing roadways, or they can use dedicated lanes to create temporary transit systems at peak times and then revert to handle normal traffic the rest of the time.

Automated buses can help reduce the amount of training required to perform difficult maneuvers, like precision docking, which is particularly useful for articulated buses where it is difficult to align the rear doors to the platform stop,by adding automating these functions. . Automated precision docking also reduces damage to vehicles and transit stops, which not only reduces repair costs but also cuts insurance costs.

Using automated controls to guide the bus for precision docking ensures that passengers with mobility devices or disabilities can board every time. Precision docking aligns the bus for level boarding for all riders and that the gap is no more than three inches in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. When you consider that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) estimates that the average BRT trip cost is $3.43 while the average cost for accessible service (i.e., demand-responsive paratransit) is $39.51 per trip, being able to accommodate more passengers with disabilities using conventional buses can generate substantial financial returns.

Automation Improves Safety

Automation can improve bus safety by augmenting the operator’s eyes and ears. ABRT reduces mishaps and accidents by helping the driver overcome blind spots and “see” potential hazards before there is an accident.

Automated bus technology is playing an increasingly important role in collision avoidance. In 2018, U.S. transit agencies reported 4,676 bus collisions, 16,348 injuries, 84 fatalities and $684 million in liability expenses. What’s more, 74 percent of high-value bus claims (over $100,000) were related to collisions.

To increase safety and eliminate costs from accidents, automated collision avoidance systems are being installed to assist operators by providing visibility in blind spots. Imaging sensors, such as cameras, radar and LIDAR (light detection and ranging), can now generate a real-time virtual model of the area surrounding the bus, detecting encroaching traffic or pedestrians. The same technology can be used to monitor problem areas, such as rear entry doors, which can be especially hazardous.

These same sensor systems can not only alert the driver to potential obstacles, but they also can be linked to bus braking and steering using drive-by-wire installations. Avoidance and Emergency Braking (AEB) systems have become common in passenger cars and are increasingly being used in transit buses to prevent collisions with pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles that share the road. Furthermore, automated braking and acceleration also provide smoother stops and starts which generate a more comfortable ride while reducing passenger falls.

These are just three areas where automation will transform bus transit systems. As with all robotic technology, the objective is to make the operator’s life easier. Automation enhances driver capabilities, removing stress from bus operations by offering assistance with tough tasks such as docking alignment, monitoring blind spots and supplementing bus operations with automated safety systems like AEB.

And the good news for bus transit authorities is this technology is available today. Transit operators such as CTDOT and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority are procuring new buses and retrofitting buses already in service with new sensors and drive-by-wire technology. And as the technology continues to become more sophisticated and more cost-effective, expect to see more ABRT systems emerge in the near future.

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Alberto Lacaze is the co-founder and president of Robotic Research and a recognized expert in robotic engineering.

Robotic Research: Harnessing AV Potential

Robotic Research is leading in AV R&D, from work with the US Army to enabling the first automated BRT line in North America: Gordon Feller assesses what the company is doing in ITS International.

In 2020 the US government set an R&D priority for multiple Federal agencies – some of them civilian, some of them military – to promote automated vehicles (AVs). One special study released by the US National Science & Technology Council and US Department of Transportation helped to specify the focus of the new priority: Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies: Automated Vehicles 4.0. The report makes the case for a push into some different R&D domains, suggesting that AVs are likely to play a role in future missions from the Department of Defense (DoD) – and that military research would contribute to AVs’ civilian applications too.

Where exactly is this DoD commitment being made so visible? The race to safe, fully autonomous vehicles is picking up speed. However, for the US Army safety doesn’t just mean avoiding crashes; it means removing the driver from the vehicle altogether. In off-road terrain, GPS-denied environments, and poor weather conditions the US Army is driving driverless autonomous vehicles forward and backwards. Robotic Research is the autonomy provider behind the army’s Leader-Follower programme, the Federal government initiative that marks the Army’s first real fully autonomous military systems. Surprisingly, it’s not from Silicon Valley. Instead, it comes from a company in Clarksville, Maryland.

Tesla and Waymo

Key players like Tesla and Waymo are helping to set the pace for AV development, technological maturity, regulations and safety. So Silicon Valley may appear to be leading the pack - yet thousands of miles away Robotic Research is developing and demonstrating its autonomous technology on OshKosh’s Palletised Load System (PLS) trucks and has already delivered nearly 100 approved AVs. These ruggedised logistics trucks run unmanned in rough terrain, vegetation and dust, which speaks to the leading-edge automation technology that Robotics Research is developing.

The benefit to the Army is immeasurable. Logistical operations, often requiring soldiers to ride in a convoy, are among the more dangerous duties for any soldier. Deploying unmanned convoys provides a life-saving solution to this highly dangerous problem.

Unfortunately, removing the soldiers does little to make these large, slow-moving assets less vulnerable to attack. But for Robotic Research, that just presented another complex challenge. The company recently announced it has added Retrotraverse to its AutoDrive-M autonomy kit, enabling the autonomous reversing of these PLS trucks, even while towing double-hitch trailers – a challenge for even the most seasoned drivers. If a platoon of unmanned vehicles encounters a dangerous situation, the entire convoy can navigate its way out in reverse, regardless of limited clearance they may have or what the trucks have in tow.

The implications for the military are clear. The capability to autonomously drive and reverse a platoon of trucks removes the solider from harm’s way and ensures logistical operations can maintain or improve their efficiency. For other edge case applications like logging or mining, risks in some of the industry’s most dangerous routes can be mitigated and the efficiency of transporting material can be significantly increased.
In the commercial trucking space, much of the interest in autonomy has focused on solving driver shortages and increasing fuel efficiency.

The US Army’s goal to fully remove the driver from logistics trucks is helping to spur innovation and will likely propel the commercialization of this technology for large-scale product transport. But drivers shouldn’t fret. With an emphasis on vehicle-agnostic autonomy, reversing technology, and navigating in GPS-denied environments, companies like Robotic Research are helping to eliminate the pain points of drivers, not their jobs. With roughly 67% of trucking accidents happening in parking lots, the ability to let autonomy take the wheel when entering a lot or yard could be a dream come true for many drivers, businesses and insurance companies.

Autonomous technology provider

As an autonomous-technology provider, Robotic Research is also helping Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDoT) make historic advancements in automated public transit thanks to a new programme funded by the USDoT. Through the Federal Transit Administration's Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) initiative, Robotic Research’s proprietary AutoDrive advanced driver-assistance system is enabling the automation of heavy-duty transit buses for revenue service deployment. This innovation will be a first for mass transportation systems in all of North America.

When the programme launches for public use, three 40-foot, automated, electric New Flyer Xcelsior Charge heavy-duty transit buses will be operating on the CTfastrak corridor, a dedicated nine-mile stretch for exclusive use by CTtransit buses. The bus operations will be a zero-emission deployment running between New Britain and downtown Hartford.

This pioneering operation will utilise automated technology to improve transportation accessibility for passengers with disabilities while improving efficiency and the rider experience for all passengers.

As the first automated Bus Rapid Transit line put into revenue service in North America, the CTtransit initiative also marks the first application of automated precision docking to minimise platform gaps, ensuring boarding is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 - which prohibits discrimination based on disability such as blindness – and increasing accessibility for all passengers.

The automated driving objectives of this project also include the demonstration of platooning capabilities to maintain more efficient headways between buses.

Connecticut is one of 23 US states now receiving IMI funding, which aims to advance mobility through creative partnerships and emerging technologies, combining public and private transportation assets and strategies to increase access to mobility for everyone.

The team for this project is led by CTDoT and also supported by New Flyer of America and the non-profit Center for Transportation and Environment.

Future of mass transit

Automated buses have great potential in public transportation, New Flyer thinks. “The technology is real and it’s here,” said company president Chris Stoddart.

He anticipates that fleets of automated buses will improve road safety, shorten commute times, increase energy efficiency and reduce congestion.

“As standards and regulations are developed and implemented and automated buses are deployed across North America, we expect our Xcelsior AV to enable meaningful improvements in the public transit user experience, which will hopefully lead to increased ridership,” he continues. “Together with Robotic Research, we are leading clean, accessible, reliable mobility that’s safer for all.”

Alberto Lacaze, Robotic Research’s president, speaks of his excitement for future collaboration and joint work on public transportation and autonomous technology. “Welcome to the future of mass transit,” he said. “Automated transit buses, like the Xcelsior AV, are not just safer and greener, but more efficient. By optimising rider capacity, improving traffic flow, and reducing stop-and-go accordion delays, these vehicles have the potential to not only increase the efficiency of travel for those on board, but for all vehicles on the road.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robotic Research and New Flyer

Robotic Research provides autonomy software and robotic technology and solutions, and has been collaborating with bus company New Flyer as its exclusive autonomous technology partner supporting its automated technology programme.

New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty transit bus leader, whose Xcelsior and Xcelsior Charge brands incorporate a broad range of drive systems, including clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, trolley-electric, battery-electric, and fuel cell-electric.

Robotic Research’s AutoDrive ADAS technology is platform-agnostic and can be used to retrofit vehicles of all sizes, from small, portable robots to large trucks and buses. The system provides autonomous functionality on surfaces ranging from urban-improved roads to off-road terrain, all while the vehicle is collecting and analysing data to enhance the future of transportation.

Robotic Research has deployed SAE Level 4 automated vehicles into multiple operating environments across the US and around the world, including urban commercial centres, military bases and government sectors. The company’s ADAS technology is currently operating in 30 states and on four continents.

New Flyer parent NFI Group provides a suite of mass transportation solutions under various brands, manufacturing approximately 8,800 buses and coaches annually, actively supporting over 105,000 buses and coaches currently in service throughout the world and delivering electric buses to multiple US properties.

These multi-tasking machines can roll across the ground—or fly through the air

Meet the Pegasus family of drones.

Behold the Pegasus! In September last year, the US Army tested the drone as part of Project Convergence, a big exercise exploring future machines of war. A photo reveals its matte-black form stark against the sky, a red light glowing in the middle of an obsidian fuselage.

“These vehicles fit a new category of robotic systems,” Alberto Lacaze, president of Pegasus-maker Robotic Research, said in a release from the Army about the event. “They aren’t quite ground vehicles, they’re not quite aerial vehicles—they’re somewhere in between.”

The Pegasus family of drones comes in three sizes, ranging from 4 to 38 pounds. The electric drones are all designed to fly between 20-30 minutes—or to drive for several hours on the ground. In the photo above, the tracks it can cruise on are lifted up like guardrails around its rotors.

Endurance in the sky and on the ground varies with battery size and airframe. The light Pegasus Mini is listed as having only 2 hours of drive time, whereas the larger Pegasus III can travel for up to 8 hours.

Building a multi-modal drone comes with certain design trade-offs. The weight of tracks on a quadcopter can limit endurance in flight, while accommodating rotors on a tracked vehicle means a more spread-out body than normally seen on military ground robots. What the combined design promises is the ability to get above, around, under, and through obstacles.

On tracks, a Pegasus could roll through a culvert and then, once on the other side, take flight, signaling if the passage is safe for humans to follow. When equipped with sensors, the drones can record and transmit video to human operators. If a Pegasus scouts an area and is successfully recovered (not always a guarantee in war), that information can be uploaded and used to generate a 3D map of what it recorded.

As billed, the drones can also operate in areas without GPS. That’s key because GPS can be actively denied by enemies using jammers (or disabling satellites, should a war escalate to the exchange of missiles in orbit), and it can also just be passively denied, by operating in terrain like mountains or caves that make it hard to receive signals.

In such situations, a robot that can scout and map terrain could prove especially valuable, as it restores an understanding of the area to a military accustomed to operating with GPS. Like many of the technologies tested in Project Convergence, the Pegasus family will likely undergo future testing and evaluation to see if the military will adopt it. What it does promise is a way to get both a ground and aerial scout into the same body. And one version is small enough to fit on a backpack.

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