One of the more interesting dynamics of change in concepts of operations in the years ahead will be the relationship between robotic systems and ground, air and sea operations. An excellent illustration of the thinking about operational scenarios within which ground robotic vehicles might be used in the years ahead is the “robotics rodeo” sponsored by the US Army.
According to TARDEC:
The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and Fort Hood III Corps want you to demonstrate your innovative and new unmanned ground systems technologies to the U.S. Army user and research and development communities at the Robotics Rodeo at Fort Hood, TX, Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, 2009.
The Robotics Rodeo demonstration is not a competition or sole source justification but, rather, a market research event to see if your technology will potentially benefit Army robotics programs. The Robotics Rodeo has two opportunities for you to demonstrate your technology in either, or both, the Extravaganza and Robotic Technology Observation, Demonstration and Discussion (RTOD2) demonstrations.
Mission Statement:
III Corps and TARDEC hosts a Robotics Rodeo from 31AUG-04SEP09 on Fort Hood to motivate the robotics industry, educate Soldiers, developers, and key decision makers, and observe the current state of robotic technologies in order to encourage the development of autonomous systems supporting warfighter operational needs.
Objective:
A combination of task-based open events and freestyle demonstration for market research, not source selection. This will be an opportunity for all the robotics industry with products at or above TRL 6 to demonstrate them in a military operating environment.
Robotics Rodeo Presentation [pdf, 3.4MB]
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***Posted September 18th, 2009