FCS UGV safe operations

The US Army Future Combat System (FCS) will implement Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) in numbers not previously seen before in military operations. Many of these vehicles will also be larger and faster than the small robots typically used today for explosive ordnance disposal and general improvised explosive device handling. More importantly, FCS will implement these UGV's in scenarios were they will be in much closer proximity to soldiers and other non-combatant personnel. This paper describes the plan for developing an appropriate match of technology for autonomous UGV maneuver with the emerging need for safety release verification for these systems prior to fielding. The plan is followed by descriptions of initial data collections with a UGV, that will form the starting point in this safety release process, and stimulate further use and refinement of this process for large UGV's in applications beyond FCS.