The AutoMate Convoy Module is a low-cost, simple and effective appliqué-style kit that is ready for installation on any tactical wheeled vehicle to provide a rapid, modular and scalable convoy automation solution. The system controls the throttle, brake and steering of convoy follower vehicles to safely follow roadways and lead vehicles while maintaining safe intervals and avoiding dynamic obstacles such as pedestrians and other non-convoy traffic. In the absence of clearly defined roadways, such as off-road, trails, fields and zero-visibility conditions, the vehicles share data so that follower vehicles travel in the wheel tracks of those preceding them, even in GPS-denied environments.
Convoy Active Safety Technology (CAST)
One of the most dangerous missions in combat is the ground vehicle logistics resupply convoy. In addition to the normal dangers of driving large, heavy vehicles for long hours at high speeds over hazardous terrain and through cluttered, dynamic and visually-obscured environments, our Soldiers must also be prepared to identify IEDs in their path and defend against attack at any moment. Successfully dealing with all at once is often beyond human capability. To increase safety, security and survivability of the convoy, a robotic solution was needed to more safely operate each vehicle.
Initiated by the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE) and the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in 2005, the primary objective of CAST was to develop and demonstrate a low-cost semi-autonomous “autopilot” capability that would allow line-haul convoy operators to focus less on driving and more on their combat environment. The intent was not to remove any of the operators from the vehicles, but to alleviate the burden of operating the vehicle within the convoy.
As the forerunner to the AutoMate Convoy Module, the CAST system dramatically improved convoy safety and security by eliminating common accidents caused by fatigued or distracted operators and by increasing situational awareness in a combat zone. The Soldiers were able to eliminate rear-end collisions and road departures while detecting more hostile threats and from greater standoff distances. By completion of the CAST program in 2011, the system had exceeded all program objectives and won the U.S. Army’s highest R&D Achievement Award from the Army Chief Scientist in 2009.
Ongoing Development
Lockheed Martin is dedicated to expanding the capabilities of the AutoMate Convoy Module to attain the greatest level of safety and security that such autonomous technology can provide. This progression of internal research follows a “crawl, walk, run” model where CAST represents the first level of capability. The end state of this development may include the capability to operate a logistics convoy without a single human operator in any of the vehicles. Until then, advanced capabilities provide the Commander with ultimate flexibility to exercise any level of autonomy in between to meet the evolving, demanding and sometimes unique objectives of any combat mission.
Capabilities and Features
After receiving three safety releases to conduct several hands-on Warfighter Experiments, the convoy system of tactical vehicles equipped with the AutoMate Convoy Module was independently evaluated by Soldiers running simulated logistics resupply missions in combat conditions.
Demonstrated System Performance:
- Five-vehicle convoys of FMTV and M915 platforms
- Unmanned autonomous follower vehicles
- Detection and safe navigation over water obstacles
- Unmanned assisted tele-op lead vehicle
- Eliminates rear-end collisions and road departures
- Dynamic obstacle detection and avoidance
- Smooth handling of non-convoy incursion traffic
- Improved situational awareness of operators
- More IED objects detected along roadways
- Threats detected at far greater standoff distance
- High-speed line-haul operations on paved roadways
- Safe operations on dirt roads, trails and off-road
- Reliable lighted or blackout night operations
- Full capability in zero-visibility or GPS-denied areas
- Mission-saving manual split and rolling rejoin feature
- Simple user interfaces for rapid convoy configuration
- Dynamic roll-over prevention and active convoy stability
- Full unimpeded manual operation on demand
- Reduced gap distance formation for urban operation
- Over 16,000 miles of autonomous ops with no mishaps
- Meets all threshold requirements of the validated ONS
Additional System Capabilities and Features:
- Capable of multi-vehicle convoys up to 25 vehicles
- Platform independence across tactical wheeled fleet
- Adaptable to complex missions and environments
Lockheed Martin is working with our customer and other DoD ransition partners to deliver the AutoMate Convoy Module to the Warfighter in the safest and most effective configuration possible.
Autonomous Mobility Appliqué System (AMAS)
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has partnered with several key stakeholders within the U.S. Army to offer a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program to demonstrate most of the autonomous capabilities that will become part of the AMAS Program of Record. The intent of the JCTD is to implement a convoy solution using a variety of tactical wheeled vehicles with supplemental “driver-assist” safety features. Those vehicles will be equipped with a standardized “Autonomy Kit” designed to operate with specific “By-Wire” kits on each platform.
Lockheed Martin is pursuing the AMAS JCTD program.
AutoMate is a Registered Trademark of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
