Master of Automotive Engineering

New Ground Robotics Center Is Based at U-M

Those getting a first-hand look at examples of emerging technologies at the Michigan Robotics and Autonomous Technologies Conference hosted by the University of Michigan included (from left to right) Dr. Grace M. Bochenek, Director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC); Dr. James Overholt, TARDEC Director of the Join Center for Unmanned Ground Vehicles; Dr. David Munson, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at U-M; Michigan Senator Liz Brater; Bob Quinn, Vice President of Foster-Miller, Inc.; and U.S. Senator Carl Levin.

The Ground Robotics Research Center (GRRC) is a group of Michigan institutions of higher education and industries who are working with the military to develop special strengths in unmanned ground vehicles and mobile robots.

Led by the U-M College of Engineering, GRRC's vision is to help establish Southeastern Michigan as a center of activity for these emerging technologies by supporting programs in research and education.

This collaboration began when the U.S. Army's consolidation of unmanned ground vehicle research, development, and engineering activities at the Tank-Automotive Command in Warren, MI, resulted in the establishment of the Joint Center for Unmanned Ground Vehicles and the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC).

Partial initial funding of more than $4 million came from the U.S. Army through TARDEC. While based at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, members collectively conduct research with projects also being carried out at other Michigan universities including Lawrence Technological University, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, U-M-Dearborn, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne State University.

Corporate Center participants include ABB, John Deere, Ford, Foster-Miller, Inc., General Dynamics, General Motors, iRobot, ® Microsoft, ® Soar Technology, and Toyota.

Personal dead reckoning systems that enable humans
and robots to communicate their location to each other in a language that robots understand by using accurate world-coordinates are being developed by Johann Borenstein, Research Professor in Mechanical Engineering.

Research Provides
Cutting-Edge Technology
for Soldiers

As an example of the rapid acceptance of these technological advances in combat, the Department of Defense has introduced robots into the field in Afghanistan and Iraq for unmanned surveillance and to disable bombs. Five thousand are already in use, and that number is expected to increase to 10,000 by the end of the year. This is the first extensive use of ground robots for military purposes.

Critical unmet research needs in unmanned ground vehicles and robotics for military applications include safe operations of robots around humans, 360o awareness, tactical behaviors, autonomous controls, platform mobility, tele-operation, and machine-human interface. Issues to be addressed include developing advanced autonomous robots that are able to make decisions in the field and execute tactical behavior changes to achieve goals; ability to respond to varying degrees of autonomous control exerted by soldiers; platform mobility including power, energy, storage, and hybrid technologies; controllers whether machine or human; and reliability, manufacturing, and repair.

Leadership roles in the development of robotics and autonomous vehicle technology in Southeastern Michigan have been played by Dr. Grace M. Bochenek, Director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center; Dr. James Overholt, TARDEC Director of the Joint Center for Unmanned Ground Vehicles; and Dr. Gregory R. Hudas, liaison from the Joint Center for Unmanned Ground Vehicles.