According to a 2010 report issued by the US Department of Transportation, integrated crash warning systems can improve driver performance. In addition, an overwhelming percentage of commercial truck drivers who field tested integrated crash warning systems preferred driving a truck with these systems because they were more aware of the traffic environment around their vehicles and their lane position.

Our engineers have adapted sophisticated commercial technologies, many of which are now widely available in consumer and commercial vehicles, to provide driver assist safety systems that can be easily applied to the military’s existing vehicle fleet.

—US Army Major General (Retired) John Urias, executive vice president of Oshkosh Corporation and president of Oshkosh Defense

M-ATV Intervention. Click to enlarge.

Oshkosh Defense is displaying its Surround View and Forward Collision Warning systems on the new M-ATV Intervention (EXI) variant. These modern safety systems are designed to assist troops operating large tactical wheeled vehicles in a manner similar to systems ever-present in the consumer automotive market today.

• Oshkosh Surround View System. The Oshkosh Surround View system is equipped with six wide-angle cameras, embedded video processing and a driver display with multiple selectable viewing points. With Surround View, the operator has a bird’s-eye view of the vehicle, which increases awareness of the immediate surroundings, eliminates blind spots, and ultimately reduces the risk of collisions while performing low-speed maneuvers and in driving situations when visibility is limited.

• Oshkosh Forward Collision Warning System. The Oshkosh Forward Collision Warning system gives the vehicle operator advanced warning of potential hazards that could result in a collision with other vehicles or pedestrians. Based on a single sophisticated camera, the system instantly alerts the operator to the specific nature of the danger. The system presents distinct, color-coded warnings combined with a haptic driver’s seat.

The driver assist safety systems displayed at AUSA originated from the proficiencies gained from Oshkosh’s TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle technology, which is capable of protecting troops in the highest threat environments, Urias said.

TerraMax operator control and user interface. Click to enlarge.

In autonomous operation mode, the Oshkosh TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology enables military leaders to remove personnel from leader and/or follower vehicles traveling high risk routes, which provides greater standoff distance from explosive threats. Using an open systems architecture, TerraMax UGV can readily adapt as mine rollers, ground penetrating radar, and other emerging systems are integrated for the detection, disruption and pre-detonation of explosive hazards.

Vehicles equipped with TerraMax UGV can be used in concert with manned vehicles for a spectrum of operations including logistics convoys, route clearance and counter-IED missions, airfield construction and support, and more. This technology allows vehicles to operate for extended periods of time through challenging terrain, dust, darkness, rain, snow and other adverse conditions without the fatigue or loss of awareness that can afflict human operators. This capability really forces us to think differently about how we conduct certain ground operations.

—Gen. Urias

The full range of Oshkosh safety systems—from forward collision avoidance to full autonomous operation for route clearance missions— has been applied to the M-ATV Family of Vehicles. The M-ATV Family includes two multi-mission models, the M-ATV Standard and M-ATV Extended, with many variants. The M-ATV Standard model provides response and support capabilities for a range of offensive and defensive missions in off-road environments. The M-ATV Extended model delivers increased capacity for additional troops and equipment to support a wider range of missions, such as mounted infantry support, explosive ordinance support and command-and-control.