Kodiak Robotics makes autonomous pickup for military

Kodiak Robotics delivered a prototype of an autonomously equipped Ford F-150 pickup to the U.S. military, showing it can adapt its robotic driving system to a light-duty vehicle as well as a heavy-duty truck.

The F-150 upfitted with the Kodiak Driver contains both the autonomy hardware and software required to operate a military ground vehicle. The vehicle is designed to handle complex military environments, diverse operational conditions and operate in areas where GPS is sketchy. 

The vehicle designed to handle off-road variables like rocks, dust, mud and water also operates with remote controls when necessary.

“Kodiak’s new autonomous vehicle shows the maturity and portability of our autonomous system,” Don Burnette, Kodiak founder and CEO, said in a news release. “We have built a comprehensive autonomous system that can be integrated into any vehicle, from a Class 8 truck, to a pickup, to a next-generation defense vehicle.” 

To date, RRAI has developed most of the autonomous-driving technology used by the military in follow-the-leader applications as part of the Army’s Defense Innovation Unit goal of developing  demonstrator prototype autonomous ground vehicles.

Dual-use technology

The dual-use potential of Kodiak’s autonomous technology attracted a contract valued at up to $50 million from the U.S. Department of Defense in December 2022.

The integration of the Kodiak Driver into the light-duty F-150, the nation’s bestselling pickup truck, took less than six months.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens to a representative from drone company Skydio who attended a presentation of Kodiak Robotics’ autonomous driving system on a Ford F-150 pickup adapted for military use. (Photo: Kodiak Robotics)

The versatility of Kodiak’s modular and vehicle-agnostic autonomous system helped the speed of the project. The vehicle runs the same software as Kodiak’s autonomous long-haul trucks and features Kodiak DefensePods, an adapted version of Kodiak’s modular, swappable SensorPods.

A technician can swap out a DefensePod in the field in 10 minutes or less. No specialized training is required.

Purpose-built ground reconnaissance

Kodiak will build and deliver two off-road-capable vehicles based on the Ford F-150. Testing began at a military base in November. Once testing is complete, Kodiak plans to put its autonomous system into a purpose-built ground reconnaissance vehicle for military use.

Before testing the F-150 vehicles, Kodiak used its semi-trucks to test its autonomous system in off-road environments, which helped improve its on-road long-haul trucking technology by learning how to deal with dust, rocks and other small obstacles.

Kodiak plans to launch driverless semi-trucks in Texas in late 2024. It has been covering more than 70,000 miles a month in driver-monitored trucks.

Related article:

Kodiak Robotics gets $49.9M Army contract for off-road autonomy 

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