The physically taxing and time-consuming munitions drill of the Self Propelled Howitzer System (SPHS) has remained largely unchanged since the 1960s. The drill places a heavy physical burden on the soldiers tasked with moving and loading projectiles weighing nearly 100 lbs., sometimes up to 100 times per day. In Phase I, RE2 is launching development of the Robotic Ammunition Maneuvering System (RAMS), a multi-arm autonomous robotic solution that will remove the physical burden of maneuvering ammunition while executing the drill. With input from the Army and the cohort team, Phase I deliverables include the design package for RAMS that RE2 will brief to Army personnel. RE2 will also execute a demonstration and simulation, showing how RAMS will leverage the Companys existing capabilities, and RAMSs operation in its real-world environment. RAMS will benefit the Army by removing the physical burden on the Warfighters charged with executing the SPHS firing drill. This will ensure soldiers safety, while also allowing reassignment of half of the existing SPHS crew, as RAMS will be able to execute drill duties with fewer humans-in-the-loop. RAMS will be extendable to commercial markets where robotic systems need to handle large and delicate objects, thus reducing human burden.
