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The Ranlo 1 UGV was developed at Defense Technologies Inc. in 2008-2009. It was an internal research and development (IRAD) effort to develop a medium scale tactical UGV for police and first responders. The Ranlo 1 was built using a stock 6-wheeled ATV chassis which was modified to accomodate vehicle actuation, power supply & distribution, safety critical systems and computer control software.
I fullfiled a number of roles on this project. I was the technical lead, responsible for designing the automation, power and safety systems. I was also the Project Leader, leading a small team of engineers and technicians in executing the vision for the project. I was responsible for preparing and presenting design reviews for internal milestones, guiding the other engineers in learning the process of automating a system and making critical choices about the hardware used throughout the system.
I was also the sole software engineer and developer on the project. The software system is based on JAUS version 3.3 and built using the OpenJAUS toolkit. I personally wrote all the code for the system including serial communication, PWM control, digital and analog I/O, GPS integration and safety-critical signal processing. Software for the system was deployed on an embedded ARM processor running a version of Debian Linux OS.
Automation of the system was done using a variety of actuation technologies. The skid-steer transmission of the stock vehicle provided a number of challenges, including a complex coupling of left and right steering controls. The steering and transmission controls were implemented using SmartMotor technology from Animatics coupled with a linear actuator. The throttle system was controlled using PWM and a servo system with a gear reduction.
Vehicle control was done using an XBox 360 gamepad. This was integrated into the linux OS through the USB bus. A JAUS component called the Joystick Driver was created and used to control the vehicle when the XBox controller is connected.
The Ranlo 1 was tested throughout the summer of 2009 and demonstrated at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems Demonstration that summer. The demonstration (shown in the third video to the right) involved a perimeter intrusion by two suspects, which the Ranlo 1 chased down and secured until the suspects are apprehended.
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