Milrem demonstrates autonomous capabilities

13th August 2021 - 16:30 GMT | by The Shephard News Team in London

RSS

Milrem’s THeMIS UGV. (Photo: Milrem.)

Milrem Robotics, maker of the THeMIS UGV, showcased autonomous off-road capabilities during the first demonstration of the European standard UGV project, known as iMUGS.

During recent autonomy demonstrations, a THeMIS UGV from Milrem Robotics followed a human operator walking a path featuring obstacles.

In another, an operator-controlled one UGV and set a second vehicle to follow it between two waypoints. The second THeMIS was then commanded to turn back using Milrem’s Intelligent Functions Integration Kit’s (MIFIK) Mission Planner.

En route, an operator stepped into the path of the UGV, triggering is obstacle detection sensors, bringing the vehicle to a stop. After the obstruction was cleared, the UGV continued on its way.

Milrem Robotics defence R&D director Jüri Pajuste said: ‘Intelligent functions are a crucial part of unmanned systems as they allow soldiers to concentrate on their mission rather than focusing on operating the system.

‘Unmanned ground systems with follow-me, return home, and point-to-point navigation functionalities considerably enhance the fighting capability of units,’

Milrem CEO Kuldar Väärsi said MIFIK would be delivered to ‘several’ THeMIS operators this year. From 2022, certified autonomous functions would form part of the basic THeMIS configuration.

During the broader iMUGS demonstration, project partners showcased THeMIS deploying alongside the KMW Boxer APC and a tethered UAS.

Seven EU member states, Estonia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, and Spain, set the requirements for iMUGS.