The Pentagon will test an automated convoy on a Michigan highway next summer. The US military, which has hundreds of thousands of vehicles, has already tested intelligent convoys on routes set by a remote operator as part of the vehicle-to-infrastructure technology program. To date, convoys consisting of ten heavy armored vehicles have been tried on the road, each equipped with 360 degree cameras, radar, anti-collision systems and on-board computers to identify potential risks.
The objective of the program developed by Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering, is to ascertain whether the trains can do without the human driver in particular hostile environments. The road test will take place on a section of Interstate 69 in Michigan. All vehicles will interface with the reference vehicle and with the transponders placed on the road to detect the necessary information, such as the speed or limits imposed on traffic. Should the test prove to be a success, the Pentagon hopes to initially automate a hundred convoys.
The complete kit to automate a vehicle costs around 175 thousand dollars. Serial production should lower the cost, according to forecasts, to one tenth of the current one.
(Photo: AMAS / USArmy)
