Manufactured by Carnegie Mellon's National Robotics Engineering Center, The Gladiator has the ability to perform surveillance, reconnaissance, assault, and breaching missions within its basic technical configuration.

MNS INT 12.1.1, dated 4 November 1993, validated the need for a tactical unmanned ground vehicle system, and the Army approved the ORD in August 1995 and the Marine Corps in May 1996.

Existing unmanned vehicles contained several deficiencies which caused both Army and Marine Corps developers to reevaluate design aspects.

Upon the approval of the new design on February 7, 2005, Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Consortium and United Defense Industries were awarded a contract for over $26 million for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the Gladiator.

Among other changes to the Gladiator, the weapons platforms were removed and replaced with interfaces to carry JMIC pallets (Joint Modular Intermodal Containers).

The Gladiator TUGV is a robust, compact, unmanned, tele-operated, multi-purpose ground reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) vehicle system possessing a scouting and direct engagement capability.

The Gladiator is configured such that it can be considered a mobile base unit, able to carry extra ammunition or other payload while at the same time maintaining the above-mentioned capabilities.