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June 11, 2003Military seeks smart, fleet vehiclesSegway to Gators, quiet power is inByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The Army wants to get faster, lighter and more lethal and it's asking industry to come up with ideas for equipment that helps that goal. Some of those ideas are on display at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa where the Army's National Automotive Center is hosting a symposium for 250 researchers and developers from the military and industry. About a dozen companies showed off ways their products could become part of that new Army. For instance, a John Deere Gator, which looks like a muscle-bound golf cart with a pick-up bed, is great for light hauling and the Army uses a lot of them. But researchers thought it would be even better if it was given a beefed-up suspension and some brains. The result is a semi-robotic Gator that can follow you anywhere, without a driver, and even follow a programmed route on its own. If someone wants to take a couple loads of ammo out to the flight line of an air base, they can drive one Gator and instruct a second to play follow the leader. The job gets done in half the time. And you can instruct the follower to memorize the route and make the trip again on its own. "We're looking for any way we can to reduce manpower, reduce equipment weight and add intelligence to our equipment," said Steven Kolhoff, project engineer for power management and soldier mobility programs with the Army's National Automotive Center in Warren, Mich. One version of the Gator is set up so it has both electric and diesel power and can serve both as a hauler and as a power generator for field use. "One of the things you want to reduce in the field is equipment noise, so a light vehicle that can silently move up to six troops around, or 2,000 pounds of stuff, is very valuable," he said. Then there is the Segway "personal mobility device." The machine is essentially a powered platform between two wheels that you stand on while holding a set of handlebars and control by leaning forward or back. A souped-up version can whiz along at up to 20 miles an hour for up to two hours a charge, carrying a person and up to 75 pounds of stuff in saddlebags. A soldier needing to make a short trip faster than walking could use Segway instead of a HumVee, which gulps a gallon of fuel every six miles, Kolhoff said.
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