Unmanned ground vehicle
[1] In 1904, Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres Quevedo was developing a radio-based control system he named Telekino.
[5] A working remote-controlled car was reported in the October 1921 issue of RCA's World Wide Wireless magazine.
The combination of cost, low speed, reliance on a cable for control, and poor protection against weapons, meant that the Goliath was not considered a success.
Shakey was a wheeled platform that had a TV camera, sensors, and a computer to help guide its tasks of picking up wooden blocks and placing them in certain areas based on commands.
[11] The platform can be a car, truck, all-terrain vehicle, etc., and includes the locomotive apparatus, sensors, and power source.
Sensors can include compasses, odometers, inclinometers, gyroscopes, cameras, laser and ultrasound rangefinders, GPS radios, and infrared technology.
Spirit operated nominally until it became trapped in deep sand in April 2009, lasting more than 20 times longer than expected.
Curiosity landed on Mars in 6 August 2012, and its original two-year mission has since been extended until October 2025 (4,804 days longer than expected).
[27] They work as autonomous tour guides for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Swiss National Exhibition Expo.
[30] Aerospace companies use these vehicles for precision positioning and transporting heavy, bulky components between manufacturing stations, which is faster than using large cranes and can keep people out of dangerous areas.
[32] Combining radar, laser, and visual sensors, UGVs are in development to map 3D rock surfaces in open pit mines.
[33] In the warehouse management system, UGVs have multiple uses from transferring goods with autonomous forklifts and conveyors to stock scanning and taking inventory.
[24] Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, UGVs were used in Japan for mapping and structural assessment in areas with too much radiation to allow a human presence.
Applications include explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) such as landmines, loading heavy items, and repairing ground conditions under enemy fire.
[39] The U.S. military is building UGVs to act as armed robots outfitted with machine guns and grenade launchers that may replace soldiers in combat.
It is based on a previous autonomous robotic system designed for use in EOD, search and rescue (SAR), perimeter patrol, communications relay, mine detection and clearing, and as a light weapons platform.
[citation needed] TerraMax is designed to be integrated into any tactical wheeled vehicle and is fully incorporated into the brakes, steering, engine, and transmission.
The Marine Corps Warfighting Lab selected TerraMax-equipped MTVRs for the Cargo UGV project initiated in 2010, culminating in a technology concept demonstration for the Office of Naval Research in 2015.
Demonstrated uses for the upgraded vehicles include unmanned route clearance (with a mine roller) and reducing personnel required for transportation convoys.
[citation needed] THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System) is a ground-based armed drone vehicle designed largely for military applications.
The vehicle serves as a transport platform, remote weapon station, IED detection and disposal unit, etc.
[citation needed] THeMIS Combat UGV includes an integrated self-stabilizing remote-controlled weapon system that provides direct fire support for manoeuvre forces.
The weapons system provides high precision over wide areas, day and night, increasing standoff distance, force protection, and survivability.
The system can aid dismounted infantry units, border guard, and law enforcement agencies to collect and process raw information and decrease the reaction time for commanders.
[citation needed] The Talon is primarily used for bomb disposal, and is waterproof at 100 ft depth so that it can search for explosives underwater.
[citation needed] The SUMET system is a platform and hardware independent, low-cost electro-optical perception, localization, and autonomy package developed to convert a traditional vehicle into a UGV.
[48] The ASSCM is a civilian unmanned ground vehicle developed in Yuzuncu Yil University via a grant from TUBITAK (Project code 110M396).
In April 2014, the Russian Army unveiled Taifun-M UGV as a remote sentry to guard RS-24 Yars and RT-2PM2 Topol-M missile sites.
[50][51] Turkey's unmanned ground vehicle Weapon Platform (UKAP) was developed by defense contractors Katmerciler and ASELSAN.
[55] The coModule electric bicycle is remotely operated via smartphone, with users able to accelerate, turn and brake the bike by tilting their device.
