Lack of autonomy hampering progress of battlefield robots.

• Author: Tiron, Roxana

They scour caves in Afghanistan, drawing gasps of admiration from military and civilians alike. They scout enemy streets, keeping foot soldiers out of harm's way as much as possible. Years from now, the Pentagon hopes, they could pack a lethal punch equal to that of a combat vehicle.

The technological wonders of ground robotics have been sketched for years on Power Point presentations. But as these vehicles begin to transition from the lab to the battlefield, many questions remain about their future missions and capabilities.

The critical question about robots is how soldiers will fight with them and how they will impact everything from logistics to tactics, according to Maj. Gen. Joseph Yakovak, the Arm/s program executive officer for ground combat vehicles.

Ground robots have for years challenged scientists to turn them from toy-like remotely controlled vehicles to independently thinking killing machines.

Significant advances still need to be made in perception sensors--for the vehicles to be able to function in complex terrain and weather--and autonomous navigation. Many of the current unmanned vehicles are tele-operated, which means decisions are made by a human controller, rather than the robot.

Semi-autonomy has been tested. That allows the vehicle to respond to a command to go from point A to point B. A semi-autonomous system would have sensors for collision or obstacle avoidance, even when the link to its operator breaks down. Autonomy would require robots to execute human-like behaviors.

The fascination with this technology is reflected in the Army's requirement to include droves of unmanned ground vehicles in its Future Combat System, a network of manned and unmanned platforms that will replace existing tanks and fighting vehicles.

Out of a five-year budget (2004 to 2009) of about $13.7 billion, Yakovac said that $500 million will go to unmanned ground vehicles. "It's a pretty hefty sum of money," he said. "Acquisition is very aggressive."

The FCS includes three unmanned ground vehicle concepts: the small UGV--a soldier-portable reconnaissance and surveillance robot; the Mule UGV--a vehicle weighing up to 2.5 tons, suitable for reconnaissance or transport/supply missions--and the armed reconnaissance vehicle (ARV), a 6-ton robot equipped with missiles and guns.

While the requests for proposals (RFPs) came out about two months ago, the Army has not yet explained how robots will be employed. "I do nor think we have thought through the impact of UGVs, such as logistical support, training and man-machine interface as they go into a mission," said Yakovac.

Contractors will be responsible for providing solutions for the man-machine interface, logistics and maintenance, among other issues. Contract awards are anticipated for this month, or June at the latest, said Yakovac. Each of the three systems will go through a 24-month development phase, followed by a second 12-month phase. The Block I UGVs could be completed by 2007, although Yakovac said that is an ambitious schedule.

"It's a stretch, but that is how we have planned it," he said.

Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Fielding the small UGVs, said Yakovac, "to me, this is the easy one." The SUGV consists of a mobility platform, which has to weigh less than 30 pounds; an operator control interface--which has to be lightweight and is being developed in collaboration with the Land Warrior program--and the modular payloads.

One of the main goals is to have a payload for the detection of chemical and biological agents, Yakovac noted.

He admitted that the program has yet to decide how the...