The U.S. Army is seeking further development of uncrewed, autonomous tactical vehicles to support logistics operations and two Pittsburgh-based firms are among the three companies tapped to see this work through.
Lawrenceville-based Carnegie Robotics and Warrendale-based Neya Systems will share the $14.8 million award from the Army with Clarksburg, Maryland-based Robotics Research Autonomous Industries.
"Neya has a long history of developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions for the U.S. military, and we’re excited to apply our technology to this new program to keep soldiers out of harm’s way while enhancing operations," Kurt Bruck, division manager at Neya, said in an email statement to Pittsburgh Inno.
Carnegie Robotics did not respond to a request for comment.
The three robotics-focused companies will each develop four prototypes as part of the Army's Autonomous Tactical Vehicle System, or ATV-S, program. This funding will also support the eventual development of 41 prototype builds across the three companies.
"Commercial industry has revolutionized autonomous vehicle technology over the past 5-10 years," Maj. Will Ryan, autonomy project manager at the Defense Innovation Unit, said in a statement. "Incorporating these sophisticated systems into military contexts not only bolsters our tactical strengths but also paves the way for innovative strategies and operational efficiencies that save lives, reduce cognitive burdens, and free up soldiers to execute more complex missions."
Tasks these autonomous systems will be expected to complete include support in convoy operations, waypoint navigation and teleoperations, all of which will reduce hostile threats that would otherwise face soldiers, the Army said.
