Oshkosh showcasing UGV technology

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OSHKOSH, Wis., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Oshkosh Defense is presenting its TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle technology this week at the AUVSI exhibition in Washington.

The TerraMax technology recently completed its first limited technical assessment for the U.S. Marine Corps Cargo UGV initiative and Oshkosh will soon begin training Marines to independently conduct autonomous convoy missions for evaluation.

The Cargo UGV initiative utilizes an Oshkosh Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement equipped with TerraMax technology, resulting in an unmanned vehicle that has the potential to increase operators' situational awareness, or reduce Warfighters' exposure to lethal attacks.

The project is sponsored by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory and the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise Robotics Technology Consortium.

"The first limited technical assessment of Oshkosh's TerraMax technology on the MTVR involved numerous tests and successful results, including obstacle avoidance, leader-follower behavior, GPS-denied operation and water crossings," said John Beck, chief unmanned systems engineer for Oshkosh Corp.

"We are excited to be getting this technology into the hands of the Marines next week, when we train them to operate the system and gain their valuable feedback on its performance in a tactical environment."

Accomplishments achieved during the Cargo UGV initiative's first limited technical assessment included: completion of more than 6 miles of driving without GPS input; successful avoidance of all obstacles; and successful tracking of a variety of cooperative and non-cooperative vehicles.

Oshkosh said it has advanced its TerraMax technology to deliver high-performing, road-following behavior even in the absence of GPS and is incorporating short-range radars to provide 360-degree, close-proximity obstacle detection and avoidance

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Unmanned Systems 2011 exposition starts Tuesday.