Electric and Unmanned Logistics
Learn about how commercial platforms are shaping the future of logistics operations from industry partners leading the market in electric mobility and unmanned systems!
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Electric & Unmanned Logistics Vision, Purpose, and Approach
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Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis of ULS on a future battlefield
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Technology Demonstrations
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Reference material for background on future operational and logistics support concepts
About the SoCal Tech Bridge Electric and Unmanned Logistics Operations
History
The Electric Vehicle Revolution will forever change the battlefield. The battlefield of tomorrow is electric, connected, and autonomous, creating a more agile and dynamic force.
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The Electric and Unmanned Logistics Demonstration is the result of two years of outreach, innovation, and iterative design, culminating our efforts to understand the future through electric and unmanned logistics technology and launching into our Electric Mobility Symposium.
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Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar focuses on the electrification revolution and the impacts on the future battlefield. We highlight the art and science of the possible when private industry, technology, and the military come together, and the conditions for innovation are set. The Electric and Unmanned Logistics Demonstration showcases the best of an iterative design process that allows for critical feedback and continual improvement at every stage of development and creates an optimal performance framework.
ULS on the Battlefield Ops Background
Work began several years ago under the aegis of the Future Unmanned Logistics Systems (ULS) Energy Logistics Enabling Distributed Operations program, or FUELED Ops, sponsored by the Operational Energy Capability Innovation Fund (OECIF) under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
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The goal of FUELED Ops is to bridge the technological visionaries of the private sector to our nation’s military leaders and planners - focusing on leveraging commercial innovation and technological advancements to better understand how operational energy and unmanned logistics systems might improve effectiveness on future battlefields. Today, Installation neXt and the SoCal Tech Bridge leverage the Southern California ecosystem assets of installations, industry, and research to unlock emerging technology through non-traditional partnerships.
ULS on the Future Battlefield
Over the past two years, two lines of effort allowed development of real-life and simulated technology demonstrations. The first, led by Robotic Research, provides a demonstration of how current electric vehicle platform technologies that are connected and have autonomy applied might support future battlefield logistics and energy distribution missions. The second line of effort, co-led by CANA LLC and Group W, Inc., provides a simulated demonstration for how current and forecasted commercial platforms might, together, perform on the future battlefield.
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This effort began with in-depth market research of the existing unmanned logistics and energy environment. The team leveraged results of the market research and used modeling, simulation, and analysis of new capabilities and concepts of employment to understand the feasibility and operational potential of commercial innovation. The culmination of this first year’s effort was a virtual demonstration day and design think workshop in 2020, which included a demonstration of combined autonomous, driverless ground and aerial systems provided by Robotic Research.
Electric and Unmanned Logistics Demonstration Day
The Electric and Unmanned Logistics Demonstration Day validates the primacy of the ALEC principles - Autonomous, Logistics, Electric, and Connected - that are interwoven throughout the NextStrategy iterative design. The opening narrative is “The Battlefield of Tomorrow is Electric and Connected,” with a demonstration of technologies that make up an electric, connected, ecosystem. Showcased within this is the actualization of dynamic and all-electric autonomous logistics delivery on the battlefield, connected by cellular technology. Next, “The Battlefield of Tomorrow is Autonomous and Transforming Logistics” sets the theme for the remainder of the day with powerful insights into how the future electric battlefield - enabled by unmanned systems and mobile electric power - might evolve using commercial technologies and market forecasts coupled with results from simulation models. The close of Day 1 provides inspiration with an immersive experience. Visitors can touch and feel and see the future as it rolls, drives, and flies past.
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The event on June 23rd 2021 at MCAS Miramar was an unparalleled platform to illustrate the synergistic possibilities of NextStrategy. The result was - innovative ideas that become great designs that work make this an essential and vital even