May 27 2013
WinterGreen Research announces that it has published a new study on Military Ground Robot Mobile Platform Systems of Engagement. The 2013 study has 600 pages, 262 tables and figures. Worldwide markets are poised to achieve significant growth as platforms of engagement leverage mobile device capability worldwide.
Even as the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan winds down, automated process implemented as mobile platform systems of engagement are being used to fight terrorists and protect human life. These robots are a new core technology in which all governments must invest.
Military ground robot market growth comes from the device marketing experts inventing a new role as technology poised to be effective at the forefront of fighting terrorism. Markets at $4.5 billion in 2013 reach $12.0 billion by 2019. Growth is based on the adoption of automated process by military organizations worldwide. This automated process implemented as a combination of software for innovation and robotic platforms is not the traditional military system.
They are systems of engagement that have arms and sensors, tracks and wheels, motors and solid state batteries. These systems of engagement support leveraging smart phones and mobile platforms. The aim is to achieve a broader, more intelligent military presence in every area of the globe.
In the last decade, the U.S. military poured money into unmanned ground systems to help protect troops against improvised explosive devices. There is the issue that the Defense Department needs to repurpose all those robots once the war in Afghanistan comes to a close.
The wider market for military ground robots will develop as a mechanism to fight terrorism in response to the bombings in Boston and elsewhere. Bombing of civilians is a very serious matter and needs to be addressed with mobile platforms that prevent terrorist acts.
While the Army's committed to unmanned ground systems, appears to be slowing, this commitment is anticipated to heat up again quickly. The investment priorities are anticipated to change as the Defense Department realizes that investments in ground robots are needed to fight terrorism everywhere.
Just as troops leave Afghanistan, so also the robots that worked alongside them leave. The difference is that the robots are finding new uses as mobile security platforms that protect against the loss of human life The Army plans to upgrade 2,700 of its existing military robot systems for use in training or further deployments.
Another 2,469 will be divested and given to Defense Department partners or other government agencies. The U.S. military's spending on UGVs appears as though it might decrease according to the words coming out of the defense department, but as Congress assesses the damage from the Boston bombing, it will become apparent that there is only one choice for fighting terrorists efficiently and that is through the use of military ground robotic platforms that function as mobile systems of engagement.
Military ground robot market shares and market forecast analysis considers that military ground robots have a vast new market based on their ability to protect human life in the event of terrorist attack. This was proved virtually in the recent Boston terrorist attack when one of the Watertown police officers pulled the emergency brake on a police vehicle and rolled it up next to the terrorists in the stolen SUV Mercedes. Without actually being in the car, the local police officers were able to spook both terrorists by making them think they were being directly flanked.
The terrorists thought the vehicle really had police offices in it and shot toward it and detonated bombs in the rogue vehicle. The virtual robot vehicle did its job of protecting the lives of the Watertown police officers and of catching the bad guys.
Both terrorists were captured using robots, the robot car (actually a real car that was pushed into a bad situation as a robot would be, thus simulating a robot) and the robots that were used in the boat where the other terrorist was hiding to inspect the situation had a direct role in capturing the terrorists. Thus the Boston bombing illustrates a whole new use for military robots in terrorist situations.
In this manner, robot vehicles are sure to be used to fight terrorism going forward. It should be noted that though all the resources of the federal government and state government were directed toward solving the crime, that it was the very local group of police, the Watertown police department who did much of the work.
It was the local Watertown police department members who were engaged in a firefight with terrorists and who had to think on their feet to capture the bad guys and do it without getting killed themselves or endangering other civilians.
It is to the credit of the local police department that they were able to do this and it is noteworthy that they did use military robots in the endeavor and the police vehicle that doubled as a military robot presages more use of military style robots by local police departments.
The defense industry is entering a new era. Military robotics are poised to play a significant role in achieving change in security delivery. With battlefield engagements winding down, terrorism has emerged as a constant and current threat. The recent terrorist bombings in Boston and other cities worldwide illustrate that threat. Military robots are the best practice technology for dealing with terrorists in many cases.
According to Susan Eustis , the lead author of the study, "the military robot purchase is driven by the need for modernization of the military. The new military is dependent on flexibility and early response. The use of military robots is based on providing a robot that is less expensive to put in the field than a trained soldier and supporting the desire to keep the trained soldiers out of harm's way. That automation of process and modernization has appeal to those who run the military."
Robots are automating military ground systems, permitting vital protection of soldiers and people in the field, creating the possibility of reduced fatalities. Mobile robotics operate independently of the operator. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) address needs from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Urban Challenge to the United States Congress. This challenge mandated that one-third of all military land vehicles be autonomous by 2015 and two-thirds by 2025. UGVs are being implemented in military and security operations. They are used in industrial and agricultural operations. Continued growth of the UGV market is supported by the ability to deliver superior, cost-effective agnostic autonomy systems for existing vehicles and vessels.
We hear from military leaders all over the world that the plan going forward is to utilize automated process to replace the warfighters and keep them out of the line of fire. The military robot market is evolving in this context.
Military ground robot market forecast analysis indicates that vendor strategy is to pursue developing new applications that leverage leading edge technology. Robot solutions are achieved by leveraging the ability to innovate, to bring products to market quickly. Military purchasing authorities seek to reduce costs through design and outsourcing. Vendor capabilities depend on the ability to commercialize the results of research in order to fund further research. Government funded research is evolving some more ground robot capability.
WinterGreen Research is an independent research organization funded by the sale of market research studies all over the world and by the implementation of ROI models that are used to calculate the total cost of ownership of equipment, services, and software. The company has 35 distributors worldwide, including Global Information Info Shop, Market Research.com, Research and Markets, electronics.ca, Bloomberg, and Thompson Financial.
Report Methodology
This is the 554th report in a series of primary market research reports that provide forecasts in communications, telecommunications, the Internet, computer, software, telephone equipment, health equipment, and energy. Automated process and significant growth potential are a priority in topic selection. The project leaders take direct responsibility for writing and preparing each report. They have significant experience preparing industry studies. They are supported by a team, each person with specific research tasks and proprietary automated process database analytics. Forecasts are based on primary research and proprietary data bases.
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