Project number
27008
Organization
US Army Yuma Proving Ground, supported by Craig M. Berge Dean's Fund
Offering
ENGR498-F2026-S2027
Background: There is an immediate requirement to identify, acquire, and transition to a sustainable replacement or modernized support solution for the legacy Advanced Remote Control Systems (ARCS). The current proprietary software architecture is maintained by a specialized two-person team that will soon retire, creating an unmitigated single point of failure. Without a modernized solution or secure support transition, the organization faces a critical loss of autonomous and tele-operated vehicle capabilities.
The organization currently utilizes the ARCS to convert various platforms into unmanned systems. The system has been in use for decades and is highly adaptable, capable of integrating with wheeled or tracked vehicles utilizing either automatic or manual transmissions. The ARMY has been continuing to fund increased capabilities over the life of the program.
The ARCS architecture consists of:
1) Hardware: Mechanical actuators, installation hardware, and a precision electronic control system.
2) Software: Proprietary building blocks designated as K-Path™ and K-TRAC™.
3) Operational Modes:
• Autonomous Operations: The base station operator selects a pre-recorded path and downloads it to the vehicle. Upon receiving waypoints and arming actuators, the vehicle navigates autonomously. The base station tracks the vehicle and provides differential GPS/positioning correction data.
• Tele-Operations: The system allows operators to seamlessly switch from autonomous waypoint following to active joystick control (Tele-OPS) via a Graphic User Interface (GUI) on the base station laptop.
4) Dynamic Control: Operators can actively push operational parameters to the vehicle, including target speed, column spacing, parking distance, and detour direction.
The critical vulnerability of the current ARCS platform is its sustainment model. The core software (K-Path™ and K-TRAC™) is proprietary and solely supported by a two-person technical team. With the imminent retirement of these subject matter experts, the organization will lose all capability to maintain, troubleshoot, patch, or update the ARCS software. Because the software is proprietary, the organization cannot easily transition support to another contractor or internal personnel without extensive reverse-engineering or licensing disruptions. Once the support team departs, any software failure, hardware incompatibility, or cybersecurity vulnerability will render the ARCS inoperable.
Failure to field a replacement or establish a sustainable software architecture will result in the total loss of the organization's remote and autonomous vehicle control capabilities. This will severely degrade mission readiness, particularly for operations requiring unmanned vehicles for hazardous environment navigation, testing, or automated convoy operations (as indicated by the system's column spacing capabilities).
Project Scope: To mitigate this risk, the organization requires a modernized Remote Control System solution that meets the following baseline criteria:
1) Functional Parity: The new system must maintain or exceed current ARCS capabilities, including real-time Tele-operations (joystick control) and the ability to adjust dynamic parameters (speed, spacing, routing) on the move.
2) Platform Agnosticism: The system must remain highly adaptable to a diverse fleet of wheeled and tracked platforms with varying transmission types.
3) Sustainable Architecture: The required solution must eliminate single points of failure in personnel. It should ideally utilize Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) principles, commercially available software with robust vendor support, or fully acquired data rights to allow for competitive maintenance contracts.
4) Modernization: The system should upgrade aging base-station hardware/GUIs and ensure the new software architecture complies with current cybersecurity and network defense standards.
The organization currently utilizes the ARCS to convert various platforms into unmanned systems. The system has been in use for decades and is highly adaptable, capable of integrating with wheeled or tracked vehicles utilizing either automatic or manual transmissions. The ARMY has been continuing to fund increased capabilities over the life of the program.
The ARCS architecture consists of:
1) Hardware: Mechanical actuators, installation hardware, and a precision electronic control system.
2) Software: Proprietary building blocks designated as K-Path™ and K-TRAC™.
3) Operational Modes:
• Autonomous Operations: The base station operator selects a pre-recorded path and downloads it to the vehicle. Upon receiving waypoints and arming actuators, the vehicle navigates autonomously. The base station tracks the vehicle and provides differential GPS/positioning correction data.
• Tele-Operations: The system allows operators to seamlessly switch from autonomous waypoint following to active joystick control (Tele-OPS) via a Graphic User Interface (GUI) on the base station laptop.
4) Dynamic Control: Operators can actively push operational parameters to the vehicle, including target speed, column spacing, parking distance, and detour direction.
The critical vulnerability of the current ARCS platform is its sustainment model. The core software (K-Path™ and K-TRAC™) is proprietary and solely supported by a two-person technical team. With the imminent retirement of these subject matter experts, the organization will lose all capability to maintain, troubleshoot, patch, or update the ARCS software. Because the software is proprietary, the organization cannot easily transition support to another contractor or internal personnel without extensive reverse-engineering or licensing disruptions. Once the support team departs, any software failure, hardware incompatibility, or cybersecurity vulnerability will render the ARCS inoperable.
Failure to field a replacement or establish a sustainable software architecture will result in the total loss of the organization's remote and autonomous vehicle control capabilities. This will severely degrade mission readiness, particularly for operations requiring unmanned vehicles for hazardous environment navigation, testing, or automated convoy operations (as indicated by the system's column spacing capabilities).
Project Scope: To mitigate this risk, the organization requires a modernized Remote Control System solution that meets the following baseline criteria:
1) Functional Parity: The new system must maintain or exceed current ARCS capabilities, including real-time Tele-operations (joystick control) and the ability to adjust dynamic parameters (speed, spacing, routing) on the move.
2) Platform Agnosticism: The system must remain highly adaptable to a diverse fleet of wheeled and tracked platforms with varying transmission types.
3) Sustainable Architecture: The required solution must eliminate single points of failure in personnel. It should ideally utilize Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) principles, commercially available software with robust vendor support, or fully acquired data rights to allow for competitive maintenance contracts.
4) Modernization: The system should upgrade aging base-station hardware/GUIs and ensure the new software architecture complies with current cybersecurity and network defense standards.