Diehl Defence: UGV Ziesel wins 1st place at ELROB

Diehl Defense took part in this year’s “European Land Robot Trial” (ELROB), which took place a few weeks ago on the grounds of the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 41 for land-based vehicle systems, pioneer and troop technology in Trier – with great success. 17 international teams from all over the world competed against each other in five disciplines in this competition of robotic systems.

Diehl Defense took first place in the “Mule” scenario with the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Ziesel. For this scenario, a specific route is taught in follow mode in the first phase. In phase two, the UGV must automatically drive the taught-in route. This takes place under highly complex conditions, such as a GNSS-denied environment, in difficult terrain with high vegetation and blocked paths. The UGV from Diehl Defence was particularly convincing in the key areas of autonomy and mobility. https://militaeraktuell.at/ibs-stellt-erste-smrp-multi-role-plattform-in-dienst/ The UGV gets its autonomous capabilities from the Platon autonomy kit developed by Diehl Defence. In follow-on mode, the land vehicle already completely dispenses with active sensors such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and GPS, which could easily be detected or disrupted by the enemy. For example, the UGV maneuvers the armed forces’ equipment around trees, can evacuate injured soldiers and overcomes obstacles by avoiding them or – if possible – driving over them. The UGV is based on the Ziesel platform from Mattro. With its small dimensions of 1.48 x 1.23 meters, a low dead weight of 350 kilograms and a maximum payload of more than 500 kilograms, this vehicle is a good support for the infantry when it comes to transporting heavy equipment off-road. Thanks to its high maneuverability, the UGV can also follow soldiers through densely wooded areas without hindering the soldier’s pace. Equipped with exchangeable ten kWh lithium-ion batteries, the Mattro Ziesel moves fully electrically, does not give itself away with loud running and motor noises and can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h.