Alion, General Dynamics Unveil Robotic Vehicle
6/18/2007

MCLEAN, VA - Alion Science and Technology announced June 18 that it and General Dynamics Robotics Systems created and successfully demonstrated an autonomous robotic vehicle able to carry over 1,000 pounds of payload.

Under an $850,000 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) product contract, the companies developed the self-mobile trailer (SMT), with a hybrid-electric design for quieter operations and speeds up to 28 miles per hour.

The vehicle, which can travel at a speed of up to 28 mph, features a hybrid electric design, enabling it to enter danger zones silently. It also features a top-mounted rack system for cargo restraint. The rack system reconfigures in the field into two man-sized stretchers.

The self-mobile trailer is adaptable and can be configured for seated personnel, MEDEVAC and cargo transport. It is just as flexible in the missions it can perform, which include: expediting the recovery of parachute payload bundles deployed with troops; acting as a look out on reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisitions missions; assisting combat controller missions by providing laser ranging, surveying and target designation capabilities; and providing expeditionary power to support operations in any area of interest as well as auxiliary power for medical equipment and power tools.

Alion Science and Technology is an employee-owned technology solutions company.