U.S. Army to Test Autonomous Vehicles in Non-Combat Situations

The U.S. Army has begun testing driver-assist technologies at its Fort Bragg, N.C., base and aims to have a fully autonomous vehicle available for non-combat use by early 2018.

The test vehicles, which will be used to transport wounded soldiers from their barracks to an on-site hospital for rehab treatment, currently have a driver in control, Automotive News reports. Under the second phase, which is due to start later this year, the driver still will be present but will only take control if needed.

Once the technology is validated and any necessary changes are made, users will be able to schedule a driverless ride in the specially equipped Cushman shuttles. The stretched golf-cart like vehicles will be capable of traveling on roadways—including those without any traffic signs or lane markings—parking lots and dual-use sidewalks, according to the report.

The initiative is one of several related to autonomous vehicles that the Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center is working on with an eventual goal of transferring the technology to the battlefield. Other projects include testing connected-vehicle technology on a modified heavy-duty truck along a 21-mile stretch of Interstate 69 in Michigan, and a small robot that can blow up deadly IEDs (improvised explosive devices).