BOULDER, Colo., April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stratom today announced the advancement of its Autonomous Pallet Loader — APL —capability in support of the U.S. Marine Corps. This next phase of development builds on previous successful technology demonstrations, with an emphasis on maturing the capability and integrating Stratom’s Summit autonomy architecture (or software) onto the APL.
The APL — a rugged autonomous forklift — is designed to navigate through challenging terrains and deliver large quantities of supplies at scale. Compared to existing fielded material handling equipment — MHE — with similar payload capacities, the APL is safer, weighs less, greatly reduces cycle times and saves significant costs by reducing aircraft fuel waste and minimizing operational personnel through the implementation of key robotic and autonomous capabilities.
“This contract allows us to continue optimizing the APL platform for autonomous operations, including pallet pickup, dropoff and transport at the tactical edge — in harsh and remote locations,” said Mark Gordon, Stratom’s president. “Our key focuses are achieving weight savings and autonomy enhancements to enable aircraft transportability and ultimately free Marines to focus on mission-critical tasks.”
Already securing joint support within the Defense Department, the autonomous system greatly reduces the burden on Marines in the field, boosting speed, adaptability and safety when handling 463L aircraft pallets, wooden pallets and large munitions. In this phase of the project, the leading developer of autonomous ground vehicles and robotic systems for logistics and operational applications will prioritize two key objectives:
- Hardware design updates to improve performance and durability, reduce vehicle weight, increase compatibility and ensure flight certification readiness.
- Summit software integration to expand the system’s autonomous capabilities. Summit is Stratom’s off-road autonomy platform.
“Summit’s exceptionally configurable and modular autonomy architecture allows us to easily integrate advanced behaviors like waypoint navigation, obstacle avoidance, cargo pickup and dropoff, cross-docking, embarkation and geofencing adherence,” said Andrew Lycas, principal roboticist at Stratom. “This inherent versatility enables the APL to tackle a wide range of contested logistics missions requiring autonomous heavy payload handling in complex, GPS-denied environments, further bolstering the military’s logistical capabilities.”
Stratom’s APL has received notable industry recognition, named the UGV Solution of the Year in the 2022 SupplyTech Breakthrough Awards program. Beyond the Marine Corps, the multipurpose APL has drawn interest from the USTRANSCOM, USCENTCOM, Air Force, and Army for autonomous resupply, cargo movement and other logistics applications.
For more information about Stratom’s autonomous systems and solutions or its commitment to innovation and excellence in advancing military logistics, visit stratom.com.
About Stratom
Stratom is a global leader in the development of autonomous ground vehicles and robotic systems that solve the most pressing real-world logistics and operational challenges for commercial and defense applications. Specializing in autonomous cargo movement, robotic refueling, robotic hazardous liquid transfer and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), the company’s military-proven tools, methods, technologies and strategic services solve the most difficult logistics and operational challenges. Whether in safe, controlled settings or dynamic and challenging terrain, Stratom provides unique solutions to meet each customer’s specific needs. With its extensive expertise in R&D, engineering and system integration of autonomous technologies and solutions, Stratom, a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, is the go-to expert for global corporations, local businesses and government institutions. To learn more, visit stratom.com. Follow us on X and LinkedIn.
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