The Marines want you to design their unmanned cargo system
SUMMARY
In 2028, another major hurricane has struck Puerto Rico, causing utter devastation across the island. Buildings have collapsed, roads are damaged, and there have been reports of small scale flooding near the coast.
The Marines have been deployed as first responders to the island along with a fleet of GUNG HO (Ground-based Unmanned Go-between for Humanitarian Operations) robots have been to provide additional resources.
The ask
In this Challenge we are asking for you to visually design a concept for an Unmanned Cargo System that we are calling the Ground-based Unmanned Go-between for Humanitarian Operations or GUNG HO.
It should be a relatively small, cargo transport bot, that can be deployed easily, and is used for a variety of tasks across the Corps from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) scenarios to assisting with on-base logistics and beyond.
For this challenge the GUNG HO will be utilized to....
The users
When developing your GUNG HO concept keep in mind that there are two very different users.
Operators: These are the users operating the device. They will almost exclusively be Marines who will load and secure cargo, and establish the destinations and mode of operations. In HADR situations, there is no single rank or job title that provides relief. The operators could be anyone who is available to help, and they may not have training on the system.
Receivers: These are the people who are receiving the cargo. Some of them will be Marines, but they will often be civilians.
In a disaster relief scenario the receivers may have just lost their home or family members, they might speak a different language and come from a different culture. The GUNG HO should make its intent absolutely clear, but should also come across as comforting and disarming for those in a traumatic situation.
Design principles
The following design principles have been created to help you as a designer get inspiration, provide some guidance and understand where the USMC is trying to go with this project.
- Understandable: Intuitive for users at every level of interaction from newly recruited marines, to civilian children and the elderly.
- Comforting: Those interacting with the GUNG HO might be in a traumatic situation, not speak english, or be unfamiliar with the technology. The cargo recipient should feel safe, comfortable, and compelled to interact with the GUNG HO.
- Unbreakable: The GUNG HO must be rugged and ready for anything just like a marine. It will be operated in a variety of terrain, air dropped into inaccessible locations, and fording water next to marines on foot.
- Simple: Easy to fix, easy to operate, and easy to upgrade.
- Original: With a broad variety of operators, recipients, and mostly importantly cargo, there is no standard form factor that the GUNG HO needs to take. Explore those boundaries!
Requirements
Dimensions and Capacity:
- Footprint: 48" x 40" x 44"H (122 cm x 102 cm x 112 cm) - Shipped on a standard warehouse pallet
- Cargo Capacity: 500lb (227 kg) or roughly half of a standard Palletized Container (PALCON).
Cargo Examples & Specs
- Water in Container: 8.01 ft^3 of (226.8 L) - 500 lbs equivalent.
- Case of .5L Water Bottles: 10.2" x 15.1" x 8.3" - 28.1 pounds
- MRE Case: 15.5" x 9" x 11" - 22.7lbs
- Medical Supply Kit: Not Standardized
Additional Requirements
- Operational speed: low speed, up to 25 miles per hour (40 KPH)
- Range: 35 miles (56 KM)
- Autonomous with manual control abilities. (Must be free-operating, no tethers)
- Must be able to traverse the same area as Marines on foot, including-- climbing a 60% vertical slope, operating on a minimum 40% side slope across varying terrain.
- Must be able to cross a depth of water of 24 inches.
Go check out the requirements for additional information.
This article originally appeared on the United States Marine Corps. Follow @USMC on Twitter.
