Robots set to take on Marines' logistical heavy lifting.

• Author: Parsons, Dan

The next time Marines storm ashore, they could be accompanied by a menagerie of autonomous robots, which some service leaders see as the answer to some tricky logistical challenges.

Unmanned systems could remove Marines from the risky tasks of resupply and casualty evacuation, said Capt. Warren V. Watts II, project officer for the Warfighting Lab's technology division.

The Warfighting Lab, in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has several autonomous robotic systems under development that are designed to aid with logistical tasks.

One is a gas-powered robotic mule, officially known as the legged squad support system. Joining the LS3 could be a small ground unmanned soldier surrogate (GUSS)--basically a ruggedized gas-powered golf cart that can drive itself--and a 7-ton cargo truck with a similar autonomous drive system called the Cargo Unmanned Ground Vehicle.

CUSS is designed to carry Marines' gear and has several autonomous modes that allow it be controlled directly from the driver's seat, by remote control or without supervision. Engineers hope that it might haul ammunition, food and water on patrol, and then transport wounded Marines out of harm's way without assistance.

LS3 and the Cargo UGV, operate in similar ways, but are designed primarily to carry equipment and supplies without constant human supervision.

So far, the three platforms have proven useful in limited roles. Each is still in some phase of testing to determine its feasibility in combat and to develop procedures for its use...