Uncrewed Systems Technology 046

6 Mission-critical info for UST professionals Platform one ABD Solutions has developed a modular platform that can turn existing mining, agricultural and military vehicles into driverless ones (writes Nick Flaherty). Indigo Drive is a complete autonomy solution that converts a vehicle to driverless operation using a central controller. The functional safety design is based around certified ECUs to handle the autonomous operation of the vehicle Ground vehicles Modular solution to conversion October/November 2022 | Uncrewed Systems Technology on a set path with a mission plan. The conversion uses either mechanical actuators on the steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedals as well as arms to move the gears, or control via the vehicle’s CAN bus using the SAE J1939 protocol as well as an OBD2 diagnostics bus to monitor the activity of the vehicle. The underlying mechanical actuation IP comes from another company in the ABD Dynamics Group. Matthew Price, managing director of ABD Solutions, said, “We take their technology and modify the robot systems for these markets. This includes a new user interface, detect and stop sensor technology integration and modified robot actuation systems. We have also increased the ingress protection ratings to meet the operation conditions and the need for a semi-permanent installation in the vehicle.” The system is designed so that