Over the past few months AOS has been working on updating its autonomous ground vehicle (AGV), the second-generation Kelpie®. Kelpie® is designed for both commercial and defence applications, as a light multi-purpose agricultural vehicle, or a light scout for the defence forces. The upgrades primarily focus on enhancing the autonomy stack of the Kelpie®.
The second-generation Kelpie® has been updated with the next generation autopilot technology. The new autopilot, Rover, running on Pixhawk hardware, is designed for ground vehicles and is highly configurable, providing significant performance improvements. This is supported by the new high precision dual GNSS modules in the Kelpie®, each capable of centimetric accuracy.
The AOS Team putting the finishing touches on the second-generation Kelpie® autonomous ground vehicle.
The new autopilot is complemented by upgraded onboard computing, with a smaller, more power efficient computer, equipped with the latest generation CPU, resulting in improved performance with reduced heat generation. Designed for on vehicle use, the new computer is fan-less, resulting in improved robustness and reduced maintenance in tough environments.
The enhanced second-generation Kelpie® will be ready for field testing to commence in March.
The enhanced second-generation Kelpie® is being developed in preparation for the upcoming third-generation Kelpie®, which will be based on the Polaris Ranger EV chassis and drive train (read more). The EV has a battery/electric drivetrain and has much improved off-road capability.
