Comet Helps Power the Army’s ARIBO to Driverless Success

Quickly making its way to a college campus, airport, or downtown near you, the Autonomous Robotics for Installation and Base Operations (ARIBO) automated vehicle pilot has driverless-technology enthusiasts buzzing. Comet Robotics is the Brighton, Michigan-based firm that assisted in the launch of ARIBO, and it now has 15 automated vehicle demonstrations in full swing with another 15 in the works.

“Comet Robotics’ mission is to demonstrate the feasibility of automated vehicles and accelerate their development,” said Corey Clothier, Comet’s founder and leader. Comet collaborates with dozens of stakeholders, ranging from U.S. military officials to Stanford University’s student population to transportation advisors in Greenwich, England.

The U.S. Army initiated ARIBO as a series of automated vehicle demonstrations at a number of federal facilities and universities. A commercial version of ARIBO, called AMP’D, has also been launched.

Comet made a name for itself when the Army’s Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center’s (TARDEC) Ground Vehicle Robotics group and other stakeholders successfully launched a pilot designed to reduce transportation costs on U.S. military bases and other government installations.

“As soon as we built the concept, people started talking. The interest at first was intense, and it kept growing,” said Clothier.

INITIAL PROJECTS

The first ARIBO demonstration occurred at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with an automated shuttle from Navya Technology. (The photo for this article is a shot of the Navya shuttle.) There has also been a demonstration at the Warrior Transition Command, in Fort Bragg, N.C., which uses it to transport troops around its expansive campus.

Clothier has assembled at Comet an international team of technical specialists, automotive engineers, master planners, alternate energy gurus, and business development specialists with a common goal: proving that automated vehicles are feasible, economical, and safe for passengers and non-passengers alike.

Clothier visits clients and potential clients nationwide promoting the idea of driverless shuttles that reduce operational costs, fight congestion, eliminate accidents, and solve base parking issues.

He recently garnered support from leaders at the National Security Administration because it spends much time and money conducting background checks and security clearances for its shuttle-bus drivers. “NSA’s requirements for drivers with security clearances means a very narrow candidate pool,” said Clothier.

Large educational institutions share many of the same needs at their facilities and grounds as the military and the government. Comet is involved in pilots at Stanford, Clemson University, and the University of South Florida aimed at automating student transportation across campus and on thoroughfares. The schools also hope to alleviate parking problems.

Another demonstration project that has taken off is the city center in Greenwich, England, aided by a substantial investment by the national government.

AMP’D UP

AMP’D, the commercial side of ARIBO, has a number of pilots going or soon to begin. For instance, there is the unnamed movie studio campus that uses more than 500 golf carts to transport everyone from A-list stars to extras to its studios and offices. The studio is considering automating its transit system as the carts now spend nearly 90 percent of their day parked. International airports and retirement communities in the south have also been selected for pilots.

Response has been positive but there have been some surprises along the way, said Clothier.

“One area we didn’t expect to be confronted with so soon is the aspect of human behavior and how non-passengers interact with the automated systems,” said Clothier. Bystanders have tested the vehicle’s collision detection system by light-heartedly jumping out in front of the SUV-sized vehicle, repeatedly stopping it in its tracks. The pedestrian may find it funny but riders have to wait while he gets his jollies.

For now Comet is focused on low-speed, automated-vehicle solutions for bases, colleges and similar large campus-type spaces that need a transport program, said Clothier.

“We hope to bring together stakeholders across the spectrum of automated vehicles to collect and share data,” said Clothier. “The entire industry is still learning and we want to be at the center.”