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View Full Version : Automated Military UTVs ? The Gator Goes Robotic for Our Armed Forces.



WOEII
03-21-2011, 09:22 PM
The 825i wasn?t the only ground-breaking utility vehicle John Deere showed off at the XUV press event. John Deere?s Top Secret military XUV ? The R-Gator ? ok, not so Top Secret because CE editor Jason Morgan has seen it, was also displayed for the press. The R stands for ?robot.?

Combining the go-anywhere Gator attitude with cutting edge technology, the John Deere Military Affairs Group has created a Gator that can be programmed to run a set course, learn a course and repeat it, be controlled remotely and seek out coordinates on its own, all while avoiding obstacles and keeping the men and women that operate it out of harm?s way. It?s basically a UTV with a brain. Tell it to go somewhere by inputting coordinates into the computer and it goes there. Flip a switch while driving a path and it remembers the path and can drive it continuously by itself. Or pick up a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller and pilot it like your favorite racing videogame. All this technology is real and it works. Just check out the video at www.ceunbound.com.
http://i54.tinypic.com/4jom02.jpg
?Since we?re always looking to improve our products, we?ve been running R-Gator exercises with soldiers and marines,? said Mark Bodwell, worldwide military affairs group manager for John Deere. ?Through those exercises, we?ve come to appreciate just how important it is to be able to navigate hilly or rough terrain quickly. The improved R-Gator was developed in direct response to the military feedback we received.?

The R-Gator can be operated in manual, tele-operational or fully autonomous mode during day and night and supports military personnel through lightening the load, persistent stare, cargo carrying, point-man reconnaissance, roving patrols, resupply and casualty evacuation to name a few.
Follow link to part II
http://www.rehabproductsshowcase.com/index/siteblog-post-action/id.234/title.the-evolution-of-the-gator-john-deere-xuv-press-event-part-2-the-r-gator
:Thmup: