Automotive Robotic Industry is displaying here the AMSTAF robot, an unmanned patrol vehicle developed for security, border patrol, load carrying and casualty evacuation missions. The vehicle has already been selected for operation with the 5th Army of the Republic of Korea Defense Force, patrolling the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with North Korea.
According to Amos Goren, the company founder, AMSTAF is also being considered for ‘infantry mule’ military missions, carrying the loads of an infantry squad closely following the troops even through difficult terrain. Other applications considered for the vehicle include employment of non-lethal weapons in riot control operations and autonomous negotiation of emergency situations, including multiple ‘flocks’ of AMSTAFs handling suicide bombers with remotely controlled means such as TASER weapons, arresting nets and blast protecting blankets.
AMSTAF is an electrically powered hybrid version of the ODG ARGO 6×6 platform, sustaining missions up to 12 hours of continuous operation. It develops maximum speed of up to 42 km/h and 5 km/h in water and is uses differential low-level steering by differentially powering the left and right wheels. The vehicle uses two electrical motors each propelling the left and right forward wheel, using chain link to run the remaining wheels on each side. The low pressure tires have low ground pressure, enabling the AMSTAF to run over anti-personnel mines without activating them.
Based on Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) elements, AMSTAF offers a cost effective solution for ‘dull and dirty’ robotic applications, capable of traversing difficult terrain including fully amphibious movement. The vehicle is fitted with capabilities for self-positioning, mapping, path finding and obstacle detection and avoidance. On security missions AMSTAF is designed to autonomously engage threats and operate as a single platform or as a ‘flock’. It can climb up to 37 degree slopes with 350 kg of payload.
