Future frontline troops could have supplies and ammunition delivered automatically by a robot before they even realise they're running low without risking lives in logistics missions. QinetiQ is working with industrial and academic partners on the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Last Mile Resupply programme to deliver unmanned ground vehicles and drones powered by AI-driven software and apps.
Just a month or so before the event, TITAN was down-selected for the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory’s (Dstl) Autonomous Last Mile Resupply competition to safely and reliably deliver vital supplies to the front line. TITAN was showcasing new payload-handling solutions at DVD2018, but, as QinetiQ campaign manager for land autonomy Keith Mallon explains, the hardware is just one part of the overarching solution.
Automating inventory-taking for resupply missions
“In conventional hierarchical resupply, troops have to manually check their ammunition status, check all they’re holding, check their inventory, figure out what they have and what they might need, and that’s a very long, drawn-out process,” he says.
“When a resupply mission is due, the delivery is planned via a tactical planning system that calculates a route for an air or ground platform.”
That resupply request is transmitted over a bearer network data link by supplied by IQHQ to a back-end logistics system that understands where the inventory of material is, where it should be, and how that needs to be rebalanced. “That effectively gives you a commander’s intent for a logistics mission,” says Mallon.
When a resupply mission is due, the delivery is planned via a tactical planning system that takes in the full dynamic range of planning factors and calculates a route for an air or ground platform, which is tasked at the operator’s preference.
“So then they’d say right, it’s a high-risk, high-threat mission, let’s send the air platform,” explains Mallon. “If I need a heavy load and it’s not that urgent, it’s going to be the ground platform.”
Delivering the goods with hoverbike support
The air capability is provided by a Malloy hoverbike, dubbed the world’s first flying motorbike. It is controlled by a ROKE autonomy stack that offers complex autonomous behaviours, including automatic take-off, pickup, landing and rendezvous, plus night operation capability.TITAN is the ground platform in question. It is controlled using an autonomy stack provided by self-driving car specialist Oxbotica with an extra level of GPS-denied navigation functionality provided by Aberystwyth University.
“Soldiers began experimenting with TITAN as part of Army Warfighting Experiment in November and December 2018.”
Previously configurations of TITAN carried a cage into which personnel could stack structured loads. The new system handles NATO standard-sized pallets and can be operated automatically or autonomously.
Soldiers began experimenting with TITAN as part of Army Warfighting Experiment in November and December 2018. Powered by a diesel/electric hybrid engine, its current top speed is 24kph with a range of 200km, but it can also operate in an all-electric run-silent mode. Its open architecture platform means it can be reconfigured to support a wide range of missions.
“We’ve been carrying effective payloads up to 80kg and can still be combat effective,” says Mallon. “It’s got plenty of grunt, and we’re adding new innovations all the time.
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