A New Breed of Robots that Drive Themselves

Abstract

This article elaborates the advancement in unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) technology. UGVs are the robotic ground vehicles capable of operating in a variety of environments and functioning in place of humans. They are being used for a variety of commercial and military purposes. UGVs can go to places where humans cannot, such as hundreds of meters down oil well pipes. These kinds of robots are on the brink of becoming an integral part of the everyday world. However, to truly become revolutionary, UGVs need a capability beyond locomotion, a suite of sensors, and a manipulator arm. They need to be able to navigate new environments without the guidance of a human operator. There are several research projects aimed at improving UGVs and making the technology ready to take on a larger role in the economy. These projects include such concepts as adjustable autonomy, enhanced reliability through design optimization, control reconfiguration, and augmented reality user interfaces.