NSW-based Marathon Robotics has won a $57 million contract with the US Marine Corps to trial their advanced Rover system for training soldiers in live firing exercises.
“The Rover system will be tested by the US Marines for advanced marksmanship training,” NSW Treasurer and Minister for State and Regional Development Eric Roozendaal said.
“The NSW Government has assisted with technology development along with the Australian Government, and has provided export support through Industry & Investment NSW.”
The US Marine Corps Systems Command will test the Rover or Autonomous Robots Networked for Live Fire Training (ARNLT) system.
If successful, this trial could see the Rover system taken on board as a live-fire training platform by the US Defense Department.
Three PhD students from the University of Sydney founded Marathon Robotics, based at the Australian Technology Park at Eveleigh.
The Marathon Robotics system uses free-ranging robots protected by armour plating to train marksmen.
The robots are programmed to mimic human behaviour to provide a realistic, challenging and interactive training scenario for marksmen.
They can turn on the spot, quickly change direction, navigate in and out of buildings, react quickly to avoid obstacles, and even run for cover when one of their buddies is hit by a bullet.
This system can run day and night and in all weather, and promises to revolutionise the business of marksmanship training.
The NSW Government helped the development of the robotics technology through its support of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Autonomous Systems, and in May hosted a visit by the US Marine Corps to assess the technology.
Marathon Robotics anticipates the creation of up to 30 jobs over the next three years on the back of international technology sales.
“The Rover uses GPS and a scanning laser rangefinder for navigation, positioning, and obstacle detection and avoidance,” Dr Alex Brooks, CEO, Marathon Robotics, said.
“Sitting atop the robotic platform is a human-sized 3D mannequin made from durable plastic to withstand hundreds of shots.
“When a mannequin is hit it drops backwards before resetting itself automatically.”