Date: Mar 20, 2005 Author: Bob Mook Source: bizjournals (
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by: Bob Mook
PercepTek Inc. is working with the U.S. Army to keep soldiers out of harm's way by replacing a good number of them with robots.
Earlier this month, the Littleton-based company received a $7.9 million contract from the Army to develop a system to control multiple unmanned air vehicles and ground vehicles.
The company, which employs 25 people, has 30 months to develop a robotics system that will support soldiers operating in urban areas. It will be demonstrated at Fort Benning, Ga., in the fall of 2006.
Working with partners like Falls Church, Va.-based General Dynamics Corp. and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PercepTek is developing systems that could automate the most cumbersome or dangerous aspects of military work -- such as reconnaissance and chain-supply missions.
"About 70 percent of military operations deal with logistics," said Jim Lowrie, president of PercepTek. "There's a lot of room for automation."
PercepTek rigs SUVs and tractors with computers, sensors and other equipment that can help navigate vehicles through roads and rugged terrain with little or no assistance from human beings. The company tests its gear at a 1,200-acre ranch in Sedalia.
The technology that PercepTek is developing could allow a convoy of manned vehicles delivering food and supplies to be led by a single driver, Lowrie said.
Jeff Jaczkowski, team leader of the U.S. Army's Tank, Automotive, Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Mich., said while there are still limitations in urban deployment of unmanned vehicles, the military is increasingly focused on robotics as a way to improve soldier safety. He said a majority of casualties in the Iraq War involve roadside attacks.
While PercepTek's funding has increased from about $250,000 in 2000 to an expected $10 million in 2005, Lowrie claimed the company hasn't benefited from the "war on terrorism."
"If anything, Sept. 11 has had a negative effect," he said. "A lot of funds have been sucked into the war."
Lowrie added that many companies cut their research-and-development budgets during the economic downturn that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The U.S. military is committing close to $1 billion to robotics systems, including $140 million to research automated navigation systems and $300 million for a program that is developing robotic "mules" to haul troops' equipment and supplies.
While he didn't provide a specific number, Jaczkowski said the military's funding for robotics has incrementally increased in the last four years.
Jaczkowski said TARDEC's next big leap is developing unmanned vehicles that can conduct assault missions -- a goal the Army hopes to achieve by 2012.
Lowrie said the military will be able to conduct one-third of its operations with robotic technology by 2015.
Steven Paulet, PercepTek's director of marketing and business development, said while seven of the company's 10 contracts are related to the military, much of the company's work can be leveraged to consumer applications as well.
In the commercial sector, the most obvious beneficiary of PercepTek's research is the automobile industry.
Lowrie said there's a push in Japan and Europe to develop autonomous control systems, or "intelligent vehicle safety technologies," as a safety net for human drivers and to reduce accidents. U.S. car manufacturers have been more cautious about integrating autonomous controls into their vehicles because of litigation concerns.
"We've got the reliability level up to 99.90 percent, but the auto guys need it to be 99.99 percent," Lowrie said.
PercepTek will participate in the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) "Grand Challenge" in Nevada this October. The goal of the competition is to complete DARPA's course in less than 10 hours. PercepTek will go up against 195 teams. PercepTek's team will use two Ford F-250 Super Duty 4X4 trucks equipped with a global positioning system, inertial navigation, ladar, radar and color stereo video. The winner will collect $2 million.
As automation systems become more sophisticated and compact -- and considerably less expensive -- Lowrie predicts American carmakers slowly will start to incorporate more automated features into their product lines in the next three years.
Robotic technology in the automotive industry has come a long way from cruise control, Lowrie said. Sensors now have the ability to recognize road signs and guide vehicles between the white lines of the highway while maintaining a safe distance from other cars.
Mark Rosenblum, a mechanical engineer for PercepTek, test-drove an automated SUV from Littleton to New Orleans last year. Rosenblum kept his hand close to the wheel throughout the drive.
Although the mission was successful, Lowrie said Rosenblum was instructed to proceed as if there was no technical backup.
Along with its R&D work in the military and automotive industries, PercepTek is making inroads in another growing field -- surveillance. The company also specializes in computer-aided detection and tracking for security systems.
With PercepTek's technology approaching critical mass, Lowrie said he expects it to become a $100 million company in the next five years. The former Lockheed Martin employee said PercepTek is trying to cultivate slow, steady growth.
While the company isn't seeking venture capital yet, Lowrie said the company is watching what its competitors do.
While robotics isn't attracting as much of a buzz as other emerging technologies, Lowrie is still enthusiastic about the potential of the field.
"I'm excited about this stuff," he said. "It's coming together from both R&D and research aspects."
