The two-year Defense Innovation Unit contract will support automation of future ground vehicles performing high-risk missions such as reconnaissance and surveillance.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. , Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a leading autonomous trucking company, today announced it has been awarded a $49.9 million, 24-month contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to support the automation of future U.S. Army ground vehicles led by the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. The effort will support vehicles designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and other high-risk missions.
Kodiak Robotics has been awarded a $49.9 million, 24-month contract by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to help automate future U.S. Army ground vehicles led by the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program.
Through this contract, scheduled to begin in October 2022 and awarded by the Department of Defense Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on behalf of the Army’s RCV Program Office, Kodiak will leverage commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for unmanned vehicles that further enhance national security. Kodiak will develop autonomous vehicle technology to help the Army navigate complex terrain, diverse operating conditions and GPS-challenged environments, while providing the Army with the capability to remotely operate vehicles when needed.
Wartime is a time of great complexity and involves high-risk challenges, with troops often operating near or behind enemy lines. Deploying autonomous vehicles to perform these critical and dangerous missions can significantly reduce risk to Soldiers while providing easier access to the information they need in the field. Additionally, the remote driving capabilities Kodiak will develop for the Army will increase the flexibility of autonomous vehicles, further reducing risk to Soldiers. The project will also provide a technology pipeline to enable the rapid development and deployment of new autonomous vehicle technologies as they become commercially available.
“I founded Kodiak because I believed autonomous technology could save lives, and helping the U.S. military develop unmanned vehicles for the harshest operating environments perfectly aligns with that goal,” said Don Barnett, founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics. “We are proud of the opportunity to bring cutting-edge autonomous technology to defense applications, and believe our work with DIU and the U.S. military will help strengthen national security and speed the path to commercial deployment. We are grateful to the service members who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe — it’s an honor we take seriously.”
Kodiak Robotics is the only autonomous vehicle company initially selected for the award from a field of 33 applicants due to its proven leadership in the development and commercialization of autonomous systems and its relentless focus on safety.
In the first year of this effort, Kodiak will strengthen its core competencies by applying a robust autonomy software stack to Army-specific use cases, including the Army’s Future Vehicles. In the second year, Kodiak will implement an autonomous driving system on an off-road vehicle that can navigate complex terrain and be remotely operated in unpredictable and challenging conditions.
DIU is dedicated to adopting and scaling technologies developed by commercial partners to solve critical field challenges facing the U.S. military and enhance U.S. national security. DIU works to identify innovations in six key technology areas where the commercial sector is operating at the cutting edge: artificial intelligence, autonomy, cyber, energy, human systems and space.
While Kodiak Robotics remains focused on its core business of manufacturing autonomous trucks for use in commercial applications, this project marks an important expansion in advancing innovation. This project demonstrates that Kodiak’s core technology has multiple use cases and lays the foundation for future expansion beyond long-haul trucking.
To learn more about Kodiak, visit https://kodiak.ai.
About Kodiak Robotics, Inc.
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 to develop autonomous technology to move cargo so people, partners and the planet can thrive. The company has developed an industry-leading technology stack specifically for long-haul trucking, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak’s unique modular hardware approach allows sensors to be integrated into a streamlined sensor pod structure, optimizing awareness, scalability and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily to customers throughout the South, operating autonomously on the highway portions of their routes. Learn more about Kodiak on the web at kodiak.ai, on LinkedIn, on YouTube, and on LinkedIn. twitterThe company’s press kit can be found here.
Source: Kodiak Robotics
