Sunnyvale CA: Real-Time Innovations (RTI) has announced that Base Ten Systems Electronics GmbH (Base10) has selected RTI Data Distribution Service for their unmanned ground-based vehicle (UGV) project. When the German Ministry of Defense needed the expertise to develop a UGV for deployment in hazardous environments, Base 10 was the natural choice.
Base10 has over 30 years of experience in the use and adaptation of commercial electronics and microprocessor technology for military applications.
Base10 is currently in the development phase of the RoboScout project, a system demonstrator comprising two ground vehicles and a mobile command post, scheduled for delivery to the German Armed Forces next year.
RoboScout is built around a modular design to support multi-role operation, from SIGINT and reconnaissance through convoy and transport systems. It also has the ability to support both terrestrial and satellite data links, as well as acting as a communications relay station for other vehicles.
For such a mobile system, comprising multiple autonomous components, reliable real-time communications is a major concern. Base10 found that RTI’s real-time middleware, the RTI Data Distribution Service, addressed a number of key technical and systems integration issues in the development of this ground-breaking UGV project.
The communications environment for such an autonomous unmanned vehicle system has a demanding combination of special requirements, including low-latency real-time performance; high reliability and deterministic messaging; ability to support modularity and flexibility in system configuration; and to operate transparently in a heterogeneous communications environment using satellite and radio data links.
Base10 found that RTI Data Distribution Service provides the ideal framework for communication and integration within the modular design of the RoboScout architecture, helping them to meet their performance requirements on this challenging and innovative UGV project.
The publish-subscribe model of RTI Data Distribution Service middleware also ensures that future upgrades and expansion to the RoboScout system can be undertaken with minimal effort, by greatly reducing the time involved in new software integration in support of additional functionality. It is the intention that the RoboScout System will be compatible with present and future military networks.
