Marines put unmanned ground vehicles to off-road tests
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Feb 17, 2012
The Marine Corps' Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate (GUSS) system recently underwent a week of Limited Technical Assessment (LTA) testing at the Fort Pickett Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center, TORC Robotics reports.
The testing involved Marines operating two upgraded GUSS autonomous vehicles to conduct resupply, dismount support, reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition operations. Unmanned operations took place over a variety of off-road terrain trails, and through mock checkpoints and villages. Many of the improvements made to the system since the extended-LTA at Camp Lejeune last May were evaluated, the company said.
TORC said it upgraded GUSS’ perception sensors and autonomous navigation software to increase operational speed and improve the ability to traverse complex off-road terrain. GUSS now has 360-degree sensor coverage and improved range to ensure safe operation in close proximity to dismounted Marines, and the upgraded capabilities allow GUSS to avoid traps, the company added.