DARPA’s Crusher is the new product coming from the Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center. And its functionality perfectly matches its name.
The Crusher is basically a 13,200-pound, autonomous off-road Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle. The terrain is of no concern, it can pass through anything – wooded slopes, rocky creekbeds, even vertical walls more than 4-feet high. According to Stephen Welby, director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office:
This vehicle can go into places where, if you were following in a Humvee, you’d come out with spinal injuries.
The tanks can also see enemy troops from over 2-miles away with its cameras.
While driving between its waypoints via GPS, the Crusher continuously attempts to find the fastest and easiest path to its destination. For example, if it encounters an object more than 6-feet high, it will automatically find a way around it.
Via TechEBlog
