Kodiak RoboticsUnited StatesThe military manufactures automaticDrivingPickups
By Alan Adler
On December 4, 2023, it was reported that the developer of self-driving truckskodiak roboticsUse its robotic driving system for military use.
Kodiak Robotics autopilot system modified Ford F-150 military leather.
Kodiak Robotics has delivered a prototype of a Ford F-150 pickup truck equipped with an autonomous driving system to the United States, showing that it can apply its robotic drive system to light vehicles and heavy trucks.
The F-150 with the Kodiak Driver contains the autonomous driving hardware and software necessary to operate a military ground vehicle. The vehicle is designed to handle complex military environments, different combat conditions, and operate in areas where the GPS is inaccurate.
The car is designed to handle off-road environments such as rocks, dust, dirt and water, and is equipped with a remote control when necessary.
"Kodiak's new autonomous vehicles demonstrate the maturity and portability of autonomous driving systems," Kodiak said. "We have built a comprehensive autonomous driving system that can be integrated into any vehicle, from Level 8 trucks to pickup trucks to next-generation defense vehicles."
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was briefed by a representative of the UAV company Skydio, who attended a demonstration of the autopilot system for the Ford F-150 military pickup truck by Kodiak Robotics.
To date, RRAI has developed most of the autonomous driving technology used by the military in subsequent applications as part of the Army's Defense Innovation Division's goal of developing a demonstrator prototype autonomous ground vehicle.
In December 2022, the dual-use potential of Kodiak's autonomous driving technology attracted a contract worth up to $50 million from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The integration of the Kodiak Driver with the lightweight F-150, the best-selling pickup truck in the United States, took less than 6 months.
The versatility of Kodiak's modular and vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system helped speed up the project. The vehicle runs the same software as Kodiak's autonomous long-haul trucks and features Kodiak DefensePods, an adapted version of Kodiak's modular, replaceable sensor suite SensorPods. Technicians can replace a DefensePod in 10 minutes or less without any specialized training.
Kodiak will build and deliver two off-road vehicles based on the Ford F-150. Tests began in November at a military base. Once the tests are complete, Kodiak plans to put its autopilot system into a specially built ground reconnaissance vehicle for military use.
Before testing the F-150 vehicle, Kodiak used its semi-trucks to test its autopilot system in an off-road environment, which helped improve its on-highway long-haul trucking technology by learning how to handle dust, rocks, and other small obstacles.
Kodiak plans to launch driverless semi-trucks in Texas in late 2024. It now travels more than 70,000 miles a month with driver-monitored trucks.