Army seeks robots that are interoperable with allies.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

* From disarming improvised explosive devices to scoping out buildings before troops arrive, unmanned ground vehicles have played an integral role in warfare over the last decade. U.S. forces and NATO allies are now seeking to collaboratively develop UGVs.

Representatives from the U.S. Army, NATO, Germany and Turkey came together at the Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL) at Fort Benning, Ga., in July to test interoperability standards on several unmanned ground systems.

The testing was meant to gauge interoperability capabilities the U.S. fleet of UGVs and those of NATO partners and discern where gaps may be, said Jim Parker, associate director for ground vehicle robotics at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Mich.

Easily sharing unmanned ground vehicles, or different payloads and sensors such as robotic arms, with NATO allies is critical, Parker said.

"As we've seen over the last decade-plus, we've always worked closely with our NATO allies," said Parker.

All parties agreed that possessing a common maneuver control and information that is provided by UGVs are critical capabilities, he said.

Conducted at the McKenna Urban Operations Complex, the lab is in a unique position to oversee experiments and draw on research from academia, industry and the military, said Maj. James Farrer, executive officer for the MBL and a British exchange officer.

"[The] primary role is providing experimentation for emerging ideas," said Farrer. "The battle lab has at its core ... access to a lot of real estate and is really useful for this type of experimentation."

While testing has been going on for three years within the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office (RSJPO), the meeting was the first time foreign military representatives participated, Parker said.

UGVs and payloads used during the testing included a Talon IV from the United States, a Kaplan unmanned ground vehicle From Turkey and a controller from Germany, said Paul Bounker, a TARDEC senior computer engineer who focuses on unmanned ground systems and interoperability.

The Talon was modified to follow interoperability standards so foreign participants could control the vehicle with their own devices, he said.

While results of the testing were not immediately available, some technological gaps were discovered, Parker said. For example, developers wanted a common operating picture that would show where the robotic systems were at all times, Parker said. Developers...