Electric and Unmanned Logistics

Unmanned logistics systems have proven to be fertile ground for cultivating stakeholders, performers, and funding opportunities. SoCal Tech Bridge's nascent operational model included the collective efforts of Naval Information Warfare Center - Pacific (NIWC PAC) - acting as principal government investigator; CANA LLC - supporting stakeholder engagement and data analytics; and MODAL AI and Robotic Research - partnering commercial industry and innovation companies. The intent was to find, develop, and demonstrate innovative technology, identify military applications and match needs, and to make results relevant to government requirements developers. 

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In 2019, the Operational Energy Capability Innovation Fund (OECIF), Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (OUSD) for Acquisition and Sustainment, funded the Future Unmanned Logistics Systems (ULS) Energy Logistics Enabling Distributed Operations Program - FUELED Ops. The goal of FUELED Ops was 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. The SoCal Tech Bridge's operational objectives included:

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• Show how air and ground ULS from commercial industry are transformative

• Demonstrate capabilities rapidly via iterative design approach of: market research (All Electric UTV; AV/EV Shuttle; AV/EV Air Taxi; and EV Semi-truck) to prototype to modeling and simulation to analysis 

• Drive collision events with stakeholders to increase velocity towards a minimally viable product (MVP)

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Two lines of effort allowed

development of real-life

and simulated technology

demonstrations. The first,

led by Robotic Research,

provided 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., provided a simulated demonstration for how current and forecasted commercial platforms might, together, perform on the future battlefield. 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. The event showed the state of the art in unmanned logistics technology, while generating feedback loops with Marines and industry for developing appropriate use cases.

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