Due to significant technical and legal challenges, fully autonomous vehicles will be years away for consumers. However, the same problem does not affect the United States** side to test autonomous driving pickups. Kodiak Robotics showcased the company's first autonomous military prototype platform, which allows the Ford F-150 to be driven by humans without human driving. Kodiak has already delivered the first Ford F-150 to the U.S. as a test vehicle for future innovations. The U.S. Army is evaluating the technology for reconnaissance, surveillance, and high-risk missions. The next step is to implement the system on specialized vehicles used by the armed forces. 
Kodiak had the self-driving pickup truck ready in just six months, as it features the self-driving technology the company has already tested on semi-trucks. The key to this system is the DefensePod, the protrusions you see on each side of this F-150. They are a modular solution, which means that Kodiak can apply the system to other vehicles, not just Ford pickups. The final version of this technology will use military-spec vehicles. Only a mechanical modification of the F-150 will allow the autopilot device to be connected to the pickup's computer. There are also suspension adjustments that allow the pickup to perform better off-road. The DefensePod sensor uses a mix of radar, lidar, and cameras from the main operating vehicle. Kodiak said the system can operate in areas where GPS is degraded and allow trucks to pass through rocks, dust, mud and water. It can even be controlled remotely, or let the occupants drive normally. Kodiak claims that soldiers can maintain DefensePods with very little training, and if something happens during a mission, the military can continue to use it. It has been reported that it takes 10 minutes or less to replace the parts. Ford was not a collaborator on this project. Kodiak chose this truck simply because of its proven track record. 
Kodiak's selection of the F-150 was based on an industry-wide analysis of the best vehicles for the program," said Nathaniel Parker, general manager of defense and public sector at Kodiak Robotics. They chose this pickup because it's a good baseline. It has enough space for the necessary computer and can perform well off-road. Basically, this is a proof of concept assessed by the military. In the future, Kodiak will apply this technology to actual military vehicles.