Unmanned Systems Technology 027 l Hummingbird XRP l Gimbals l UAVs insight l AUVSI report part 2 l O’Neill Power Systems NorEaster l Kratos Defense ATMA l Performance Monitoring l Kongsberg Maritime Sounder

75 technology in the US. The first prototype was developed in 2014. Kratos has integrated a ‘bolt-on’ kit into what is otherwise a standard vehicle from Royal Truck & Equipment that includes computers, actuators, navigation sensors, additional sensors for obstacle detection, and RF equipment. The kit has an optionally manned capability, allowing it to be driven by a human, or at the flip of a switch it can be turned into an unmanned system. As Factor explains, “When we deployed it and did some demonstrations, the people who have to drive these truck- mounted attenuators recognised it as a solution to what is one of the most dangerous jobs in the work zone.” Soon after that, Kratos received its first contract, with a British highway maintenance company called Colas. The ATMA automation kit The ATMA’s automation kit is typically integrated into two trucks, which are operated in a leader-follower configuration. The lead vehicle is manned, with navigation sensors and computers mounted under the driver’s seat to collect data on speed, position and heading, before transmitting it to the follower vehicle. The exact work being conducted will be determined by the nature of the lead vehicle and the team operating it. It could be traffic cone deployment or line painting, for example. An operator control panel for the ATMA system is installed on the dashboard of the lead vehicle; typically it’s a Panasonic FZG1 ruggedised notebook PC, which is used by Kratos across a number of its solutions. “Either the driver or a dedicated ATMA operator in the right- hand passenger seat will be looking at this, and can see a number of mission- critical variables on it,” Factor explains. Chief among these is the GPS status, which shows green when the follower vehicle is receiving the leader’s position, and red when GPS data is not being transmitted. A similar system is used for the vehicle-to-vehicle inertial Kratos Defense ATMA | In operation The people who have to drive these attenuators recognised it as a solution to one of the most dangerous jobs in the work zone Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2019 The ATMA system uses two trucks in a leader-follower arrangement, with the rear truck providing an autonomous crash barrier for what is typically a moving highway work zone (Photos courtesy of Kratos Defense) Panasonic’s FZG1 ruggedised notebook provides the ATMA’s user interface, which typically displays a number of indicator lights showing the status of crucial systems