Tech Briefs
CMU and Boeing team on combat vehicle
 The hybrid-powered, unmanned ground combat vehicle, Spinner, being built by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) will be designed to negotiate and move swiftly over major terrain obstacles, withstand a moderate crash, and rapidly recover and operate while inverted. (Image courtesy of Boeing.) |
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded $5.5 million to the National Robotics Engineering Consortium (NREC) of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to build and test a prototype robotic unmanned ground combat vehicle (UGCV). The vehicle will be the first attempt at an autonomous ground combat vehicle that can operate on all types of terrain. According to John Bares, Project Manager and Director of the NREC, CMU is "designing a new vehicle from the ground up that can take full advantage of the fact that it will not accommodate a human crew."
The award follows two earlier awards; the first to define the concept and the second for further detail design, in which a team of NREC researchers worked with subcontractors that included Boeing, PEI Electronics, and Timoney Technology to build a six-wheeled testbed machine similar in size to the final prototype.
 The hull configuration of CMU's six-wheel drive Spinner will offer a large continuous payload bay that can rotate payloads in upright or downward positions. The vehicle will have a mass of about 7570 kg (16,700 lb) with full payload. (Image courtesy of CMU.) Click to enlarge |
Boeing is building the vehicle's frame, hull, nose, and payload compartment in Seattle, taking advantage of the latest composite materials and fabrication processes, together with a unique structural concept, that will be extremely crash resistant," said Wayne Hammond, Boeing UGCV Program Manager. Boeing's Unmanned Systems organization also includes the X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle and ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle.
Timoney, based in Meath, Ireland, is in charge of the vehicle's unique invertible suspension and wheel drive units that will enable to vehicle to operate upside down after a rollover. Huntsville, AL-based PEI, a business unit of Integrated Defense Technologies, will supply the vehicle's battery and power-management system and key vehicle control software and hardware.
High-torque, wheel-mounted propulsion motors from UQM Technologies will power the Spinner. According to William Rankin, UQM President and CEO, the company nearly doubled the torque delivery capability of its existing high-performance propulsion motors to meet performance requirements of the Spinner. The vehicle's final assembly will be by CMU in Pittsburgh.
CMU and UQM are also working together on the development and preliminary design of propulsion system for the future Gladiator tactical unmanned ground vehicle (TUGV). The TUGV is planned as a robust, compact, unmanned multipurpose vehicle system that will possess a scouting and direct engagement capability. The tele-operated, semi-autonomous vehicle will provide the U.S. Marine Corps with remote reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition; nuclear, biological, and chemical reconnaissance; obstacle breaching; and direct fire capability to neutralize threats.
- Jean L. Broge
Briefs
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