This electronic flyer highlights our capabilities and activities in the area of Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). Please sign our guestbook. For additional information, e-mail Christopher E. Camargo, Southwest Research Institute.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) 

Vision: To participate in basic and applied research to advance the state of the art in unmanned ground vehicle performance, efficiency, safety, and cost for urban and extreme environments.

With over 50 years of experience in the automotive industry, SwRI’s expertise and capabilities benefit the UGV industry.

Robustness and Reliability

Extensive experience in manned and unmanned weapons systems gives SwRI an edge when developing rugged, highly reliable, fault tolerant control systems.

Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS)

  • Vehicle management systems
  • Engine and vehicle structure health monitoring
  • Ground control stations
  • Hybrid vehicles
  • Traffic monitoring systems
  • Hardware In the Loop (HIL) Simulation

Terrain Modeling for Convoy Operations

Recent internal research includes a simulation package to model sparsely manned convoys.

Model Based Design

In compliance with SwRI’s ISO 9001:2000 processes, SwRI uses model based design techniques as part of its system design process. Institute staff members create system models and controllers using the design tools and extensively test and evaluate their performance against the system requirements. The design tools produce software which eliminates the need for manual conversion and reduces development time.

 

As part of a multi-year initiative, SwRI will augment the existing proving ground with traffic devices and standard signage, radio communications equipment and representative obstacles to test and evaluate enabling technologies for autonomous vehicles. SwRI provides client-confidential test and evaluation services to DoD and the automotive industry worldwide.

UGV Capabilities

  • Positioning: GPS and inertial navigation system (INS)
  • Integration: Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) hardware and software
  • Intelligence: Layered control scheme
  • Perception: Obstacle detection and path acquisition
  • Communications: DSRC, JTRS, Software Defined Radios (SDR)
  • Command and Control: Smart user interface, drive by wire

Applications of Research

  • Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS)
  • Integrated Vehicle Based Safety Systems (IVBSS)
  • Perimeter and border patrol
  • Automated inspection vehicles
  • Hazardous waste and explosive ordnance disposal
  • Emergency response vehicles
  • Autonomous and semi-autonomous convoy operations
  • Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I)

Software Languages

  • C/C++
  • JavaTM
  • Microsoft® .NetTM
  • MATLAB®/Simulink®

Facilities

  • Proving Ground: 1.16 mile track
  • Urban Environment Vehicle Test Bed
  • Test Platform: Drive-By-Wire, Real Time Controller, Quad Rack Mounted Computers
  • Two Million Square Feet of Office and Lab Space

For additional information about Avionics and Support Systems Department, please visit
www.avionics.swri.org.

 

This flyer was published in October 2007. For more information about the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), please contact Christopher E. Camargo, Aerospace Electronics and Information Technology Division, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510, Phone (210) 522-2095, Fax (210) 522-2572.

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