Robot truck revolution to benefit military.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Technology Tomorrow

* By now it should be obvious to the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center that it needs to stop investing in driverless truck convoy technology.

The domestic trucking industry will soon be pulling out ahead of the military, and the economy of scale it can provide will drive down the cost of robotic systems and finally make it affordable for ground forces.

TARDEC's ponderous pace developing driverless trucks was spelled out in a June National Defense article, "Army Still Determining Best Use of Driverless Vehicles."

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when roadside bombs were a scourge, the Army was motivated to reduce the number of drivers on the road. Convoys transporting supplies, water and fuel were being attacked daily, and civilians and war fighters alike were losing limbs and their lives just to get from point A to point B.

That is when the Army began work in earnest on driverless trucks and leader-follower concepts that could reduce the exposure of troops to improvised explosive devices. While many counter-IED technologies were rushed into battle zones in the 2000s, these ideas never made it there despite the relatively high technology readiness level.

There were many problems and questions: Was the technology good enough to stop a 16-ton truck from hitting a child walking in front of it? What were the tactics, techniques and procedures? Would it be affordable? TARDEC wanted the price to be about $20,000 per vehicle kit.

The June article noted that the Army is still interested in driverless trucks, but questions and technological hurdles remain.

Taking military vehicles off-road still poses problems. Driving on well-developed highways is relatively easy compared to navigating away from pavement.

That is where the military needs to invest its precious robotic development dollars. Robotic off-road vehicles can carry out medical evacuation and resupply out of hot zones. Leader-follower, or robotic wingman, concepts can take the load off troops' backs or provide an extra set of sensors or weapons as long as they can navigate rough terrain.

As for convoys, or single trucks traveling on a smooth road, one could say the writing is on the wall as far as this occurring domestically. But it might be more accurate to say the writing is "on the trucks." Driving up any U.S. interstate today, it's common to see the words "Drivers Wanted" followed by a 1-800 number on the back doors of tractor-trailers.

The...