Unmanned Ground Vehicle: Advanced Strategies and Applications in Modern Warfare

By Fouad Sabry

What is Unmanned Ground Vehicle

An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground without an onboard human presence. UGVs can be used for many applications where it is inconvenient, dangerous, expensive, or impossible to use an onboard human operator. Typically, the vehicle has sensors to observe the environment, and autonomously controls its behavior or uses a remote human operator to control the vehicle via teleoperation.

How you will benefit

(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:

Chapter 1: Unmanned ground vehicle

Chapter 2: DARPA

Chapter 3: Autonomous robot

Chapter 4: Military robot

Chapter 5: Micro air vehicle

Chapter 6: Foster-Miller TALON

Chapter 7: Mobile robot

Chapter 8: TerraMax

Chapter 9: Gladiator Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Chapter 10: Black Knight (vehicle)

(II) Answering the public top questions about unmanned ground vehicle.

Who this book is for

Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Unmanned Ground Vehicle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable
• Release date: Jun 18, 2024

Book preview

Chapter 1: Unmanned ground vehicle

A vehicle that runs when it is in touch with the ground but does not have a human being present aboard is referred to as an unmanned ground vehicle, or UGV. UGVs offer a wide range of potential applications, many of which include circumstances in which the presence of a human operator would be inconvenient, hazardous, or otherwise impossible. In most cases, the vehicle will be equipped with a set of sensors to monitor its surrounding environment. These sensors will either allow the vehicle to make decisions regarding its behavior on its own or transmit the information to a human operator who is located in a different location and will control the vehicle through teleoperation.

The unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is the equivalent of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned undersea vehicles for use on land. There is a concerted effort being made to create unmanned robots for use in a range of mundane, filthy, and potentially hazardous tasks for both civilian and military applications.

In the edition of World Wide Wireless magazine published by RCA that was dated October 1921, there was a report of a functioning remote-controlled automobile. It was hoped that the technology may one day be developed to be used in tanks. The vehicle in question was unmanned and commanded remotely through radio. The Soviet Union created Teletanks in the 1930s, which were equipped with machine guns and could be remotely operated by radio from another tank. During the Winter War (1939–1940), which Germany fought against Finland, and at the beginning of the Eastern Front, which began when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, they were used. In 1941, the British military participated in World War II and created a radio control version of their Matilda II infantry tank. It was given the codename Black Prince, and its primary purpose was either to attract the fire of covert anti-tank weapons or to carry out demolition operations. An order for sixty tanks had to be canceled as a result of the high expenses associated with upgrading the transmission system of the tank to Wilson type gearboxes.

Beginning in 1942, the Germans made use of the Goliath tracked mine for demolition operations in isolated locations. The Goliath was a compact tracked vehicle that carried sixty kilograms of explosive charge and was controlled by means of a control cable. The small French tracked vehicle that was discovered after France's capitulation in 1940 served as their source of inspiration. Due to the fact that it was expensive, slow, required the use of a cable for control, and offered inadequate defense against the effects of weapons, it was not a successful endeavor.

In the 1960s, as part of a research project for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the first significant attempt to construct a mobile robot, which was given the name Shakey at the time, was initiated (DARPA). Shakey was a wheeled platform that was equipped with a TV camera, sensors, and a computer to assist with its navigational activities. These jobs included picking up wooden blocks and depositing them in certain locations depending on orders. Following that, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) created a succession of fully autonomous and partially autonomous ground robots, often in collaboration with the United States Army. DARPA's demonstration of the Autonomous Land Vehicle, the first unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that could operate totally autonomously on and off highways at usable speeds, was carried out as part of the Strategic Computing Initiative.

Unmanned ground vehicles will typically include of the following components, however this may vary depending on the use for which the vehicle is intended: platform, sensors, control systems, guidance interface, communication connections, and systems integration features.

The platform may be modeled after the architecture of an all-terrain vehicle and is comprised of the locomotive equipment, sensors, and a source of electricity. The most prevalent modes of movement include walking and running on two legs, wheels, or tracks. In addition to that, the platform may have a body that is articulated, and some of them might be able to connect to other units.

The sensing of the surroundings and navigation are both important functions that are performed by UGV sensors. Compasses, odometers, inclinometers, gyroscopes, cameras for triangulation, laser and ultrasonic range finders, and infrared technologies are all examples of the types of sensors that may be used.

It is common practice to refer to unmanned ground vehicles as being Remote-Operated and Autonomous. However, the term Supervisory Control may also be used to describe circumstances in which there is a mix of decision making from internal UGV systems and the remote human operator.

An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that is managed by a person from a distant location is called a remote-operated UGV. The operator makes all of the decisions on what actions to take based on either direct visual observation or the usage of sensors from a distant location, such as digital video cameras. A toy automobile that can be operated through remote control serves as a useful illustration of the fundamentals underlying remote operation.

The following are some examples of UGV technology that can be controlled remotely:

Autonomous Solutions

BTR-90#Krymsk (Krymsk APC)

The Clearpath Robotics Company

UGV operations for mine clearance, firefighting, and underground mining are being carried out.

DRDO Daksh

Foster-Miller TALON

Teleoperated Unmanned Ground Vehicle by Frontline Robotics (TUGV)

Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle of the Gladiator Class (used by the United States Marine Corps)

G-NIUS Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles (a joint venture between Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems) Guardium

PackBot from iRobot

Scorpion Small Utility Vehicle (SUGV) and MacroUSA Armadillo V2 Micro Utility Vehicle (MUGV)

Tactical Integrated Light-Force Deployment Assembly developed by Mesa Associates (MATILDA)

During the Belarus-Russia exercise, a Nerekhta UGV made an appearance at Zapad 2021.

Nova 5

Remotec ANDROS F6A

Ripsaw MS1

Robowatch ASENDRO

Land Rover with no human occupants, the Snatch.

THeMIS, which was created by Milrem Robotics and is now in use by the Royal Netherlands Army

Unmanned ground vehicle Miloš used by Serbian Armed Forces

Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot Developed by Vecna Robotics (BEAR)

VIPeR

On the basis of technology related to artificial intelligence and machine learning, an autonomous unmanned ground vehicle, also known as an AGV, is basically a robot that can