The MoD
announced today that SATURN - an integrated system with one high flying and one mini UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), and a UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) with a control station fusing data from visual, thermal and radar sensors - entered by the Stellar team has won first prize in its 2008 Grand Challenge competition. Stellar, a consortium of high-tech comms and robotics companies and academics, was one of 11 finalists competing for the prestigious RJ Mitchell Trophy.
announced today that SATURN - an integrated system with one high flying and one mini UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), and a UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) with a control station fusing data from visual, thermal and radar sensors - entered by the Stellar team has won first prize in its 2008 Grand Challenge competition. Stellar, a consortium of high-tech comms and robotics companies and academics, was one of 11 finalists competing for the prestigious RJ Mitchell Trophy.The Challenge was to come up with an autonomous surveillance vehicle that can identify enemy positions in an urban environment before troops are sent in. The UVs had to detect snipers, vehicles mounted with heavy weapons, enemy patrols and improvised explosive devices and then relay the information back to base.
The Army training village of Copehill Down on Salisbury Plan, host to the competition, was invaded by an assortment of the futuristic machines vying with each other not only to win the first prize but also to secure future lucrative MoD contracts.
Congratulations to the Stellar team for coming up with such a potential life-saver! (though it does look like the kind of thing I used to make with Meccano)
Link> MoD: Stellar takes top MOD prize for battlefield innovators
Link> Armed Forces International: MoD's 'Grand Challenge' Competition
Link> The Telegraph: Flying saucer that can plant explosives or bugs set for frontline
also
Link> MoD: Welcome to the Grand Challenge
Link> AV: MoD Grand Challenge 'without challenge there is no solution'
Posts
