Design of an agile unmanned combat vehicle: a product of the DARPA UGCV program

Lindsey D. Thornhill; Alan Walls; Ronald C. Arkin; Joseph H. Beno; Chuck Bergh; Don Bresie; Anthony Giovannetti; Benny M. Gothard; Larry Henry Matthies; Porfirio Nogueiro; Jim Scanlon; Ron Scott; Miguel Simon; Wilford Smith; Kenneth J. Waldron

doi:10.1117/12.497847

30 September 2003 Design of an agile unmanned combat vehicle: a product of the DARPA UGCV program

Lindsey D. Thornhill, Alan Walls, Ronald C. Arkin, Joseph H. Beno, Chuck Bergh, Don Bresie, Anthony Giovannetti, Benny M. Gothard, Larry Henry Matthies, Porfirio Nogueiro, Jim Scanlon, Ron Scott, Miguel Simon, Wilford Smith, Kenneth J. Waldron

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5083, Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology V; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.497847
Event: AeroSense 2003, 2003, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

The unmanned ground compat vehicle (UGCV) design evolved by the SAIC team on the DARPA UGCV Program is summarized in this paper. This UGCV design provides exceptional performance against all of the program metrics and incorporates key attributes essential for high performance robotic combat vehicles. This performance includes protection against 7.62 mm threats, C130 and CH47 transportability, and the ability to accept several relevant weapons payloads, as well as advanced sensors and perception algorithms evolving from the PerceptOR program. The UGCV design incorporates a combination of technologies and design features, carefully selected through detailed trade studies, which provide optimum performance against mobility, payload, and endurance goals without sacrificing transportability, survivability, or life cycle cost. The design was optimized to maximize performance against all Category I metrics. In each case, the performance of this design was validated with detailed simulations, indicating that the vehicle exceeded the Category I metrics. Mobility metrics were analyzed using high fidelity VisualNastran vehicle models, which incorporate the suspension control algorithms and controller cycle times. DADS/Easy 5 3-D models and ADAMS simulations were also used to validate vehicle dynamics and control algorithms during obstacle negotiation.

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Lindsey D. Thornhill, Alan Walls, Ronald C. Arkin, Joseph H. Beno, Chuck Bergh, Don Bresie, Anthony Giovannetti, Benny M. Gothard, Larry Henry Matthies, Porfirio Nogueiro, Jim Scanlon, Ron Scott, Miguel Simon, Wilford Smith, and Kenneth J. Waldron "Design of an agile unmanned combat vehicle: a product of the DARPA UGCV program", Proc. SPIE 5083, Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology V, (30 September 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.497847

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