Lockheed Martin has been
working on a project for the past 14 years, called the Autonomous Mobility
Applique System (AMAS), aimed at automating vehicles utilized in convoy
operations. The system is a kit that can be retrofitted to an existing
platform, and can allow convoys to operate with little to no human inputs.
The Autonomous Mobility
Applique System has amassed more than 55,000 hours of road time on nine
modified vehicles, and is getting close to being fielded. Successful
demonstrations with TARDEC (Army Tank Automotive Research Development and
Engineering Center) in 2014 at Fort Hood Texas, where the AMAS system
demonstrations utilized M915 trucks and the Palletized Loading System flatbed
vehicles while performing convoy operations have helped keep momentum going on
this program (Seck, 2017). Previous testing at the Department of Energy’s
Savannah River facilities in South Carolina saw the use of seven vehicles in a
convoy formation travelling at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Additional
testing of the AMAS system was accomplished in 2016 following Lockheed’s completion
of the development of their advanced Leader-Follower capabilities,
demonstrating operations with seven Palletized Loading System vehicles and two
Light-Medium Tactical Vehicles for safety evaluations (Dennehy, 2017). In
October 2016, five of these vehicles took part in the Army Warfighter
Assessment (AWA) at Ft. Bliss, Texas, where the new capabilities were
demonstrated.
Currently, a manned lead
vehicle controls the following automated convoy vehicles. The AMAS system uses
a three-part drive-by-wire system- an environment sensor, actuators to move the
vehicles and pump the brakes, and a central computer that processes sensor data
and gives driving commands (Seck, 2017). Lockheed’s autonomous system developed
to monitor and control navigation utilizes GPS, Light Detection and Ranging
(LIDAR) and automotive radar (Bogue, 2016, p. 358). The system also provides
collisions mitigation braking, lane-keeping assist, roll-over warning systems,
electronic stability control and adaptive cruise control.
Demonstrations have
shown that the AMAS system is capable of tasks including: obstacle avoidance,
following lead vehicles and the road, as well as maintaining sufficient set
distances between other convoy vehicles (Seck, 2017). One field test navigated
oncoming traffic, followed the rules of the road, identified and avoided
pedestrians encountered, and even re-routed itself through portions of the test
areas to arrive safely at its destination (Bogue, 2016, p. 358). Fully
autonomous software is still currently in development, aimed at allowing these
vehicles to be dispatched to a set location for delivery of food and supplies,
and return to a supply point (Seck, 2017).
The benefits of using a
system such as AMAS to automate convoy operations are plentiful, and have the
potential to save numerous lives. An autonomous convoy could depart in
substandard weather environments, and navigate treacherous terrain to deliver
supplies to the operating field units. Reducing the number of lives exposed to
dangerous convoy duties is another benefit, and allow those personnel to focus
on more operationally relevant functions. Ultimately, the number of members who
must be deployed to a combat environment to support these convoy functions
could also be reduced. Additionally, autonomous vehicle technology could
ultimately be used to allow a lead autonomous vehicle to run point in a convoy,
identifying and removing the hazard of IED’s and other ordnance encountered
(Bogue, 2016, p. 358).
I do agree with the
development of technology such as this, that will allow for a smaller
deployable footprint, while enabling accomplishment of mission objectives.
Also, the potential to save lives that are lost supporting operations such as
convoy movements makes utilization of a system like this necessary. Along the
lines of the questions that arise regarding the kill decision for UAS/RPA
personnel removed from the battlefield, I am curious how all the automation we
strive to implement will impact our future decision-making processes when determining
what operations to pursue/support.
References
Bogue, R. (2016).
The role of robots in the battlefields of the future. Industrial Robot:
An International Journal, 43(4), 354-359.
doi:10.1108/ir-03-2016-0104
Dennehy, K. (2017,
February 28). Lockheed Martin's Autonomous Systems Unit Testing Air-Ground
Vehicles. Retrieved from http://insideunmannedsystems.com/lockheed-martins-autonomous-systems-unit-testing-air-ground-vehicles/
Seck, H. (2017,
March 30). Driverless Convoy Technology May Be Fielded Soon. Retrieved from
https://www.defensetech.org/2017/03/30/driverless-convoy-technology-fielded/
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