The URBAN project, a mini unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with high navigation capabilities and autonomous operation, has been selected by the Spanish Ministry of Defense for its development within the technological thematic area “Ground robotics in support of infantry” of the Cooperation program in Scientific Research and Development in Strategic Technologies (COINCIDENTE).
Our robot has been one of the three projects selected, within its thematic area, by the General Directorate of Armament and Material (DGAM) of the Spanish Ministry of Defense for considering it interesting for defense. The project is called URBAN and its purpose is to design and manufacture a prototype of an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), with autonomous navigation and operation capabilities and that will serve for reconnaissance tasks in urban environments, as infantry support..
This robot will have advanced navigation and detection capabilities in unstructured environments, for recognition of infrastructures and facilities and early detection of potential threats. The technologies developed in this project, as well as the experience obtained, will also serve TST to promote future technological developments in multiple fields, including security and defense, but also applications in industry or in emergency services and civil protection, as explained the person in charge of the project, the systems engineer Iván Bermejo:
“We highly value the support received from the Spanish Ministry of Defense for the URBAN project, acknowledging its interest in defense applications”.
Our CEO, Fran Alcalá, on behalf of the TST team, has shown his great satisfaction with this decision of the Ministry and has emphasized the role of TST in the field of Industry 4.0:
“The URBAN project promotes our activity in the field of robotics as part of the company’s strategy to be a global enabler of the Digital Society and Industry 4.0”.
The COINCIDENTE 2021 call was focused on four technological R&D topics: Electrical energy storage systems for high power pulses; New technological solutions for CBRN decontamination; Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) detection systems and Ground Robotics for infantry support. Among all the proposals presented at the national level, the Spanish Ministry of Defense has selected a total of nine projects, three of them in the field of Terrestrial Robotics for infantry support.
The COINCIDENTE program
The main objective of the COINCIDENTE program is to take advantage of civil technologies, developed within the scope of the National R&D Plan, to incorporate innovative technological solutions of interest to the Spanish Ministry of Defence; strengthen the network of industrial, scientific and technological defense companies. The projects that are selected within the framework of this program must develop a prototype with military functionality that represents a significant technological novelty and that satisfies a real or potential need of the Ministry of Defense. The projects are co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Defense, with a degree of participation that ranges between 20% and 80%, depending on their innovative nature and technological interest, as well as the size of the company.
Since its launch in 1985, COINCIDENTE has been an essential instrument to promote the training of the national scientific, technological and industrial base in technological areas of interest for defense. The program is open to the participation of companies, universities and research centers.
