Forward-thinking partners debut disinfecting vehicle at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids Michigan

Pratt Miller Mobility (PMM), in concert with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and PlanetM, demonstrated its Large Area Autonomous Disinfecting (LAAD) Vehicle at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in front of key stakeholders and members of the press.

LAAD, the first-of-its-kind to be deployed in the U.S., is a connected, electric and autonomous disinfecting robot that dispenses FDA-approved disinfecting materials through a multi-head electrostatic sprayer array. The electrostatic technology sprays disinfectant into the air and adheres to surfaces for maximum virus protection, while the autonomous platform monitors and guarantees coverage through the use of sensors and data analysis.

LAAD has been surveying and disinfecting areas of the airport since Monday and will continue doing so through Friday.

“The new technology from Pratt Miller is a great tool in our Fly Safe. Fly Ford. campaign to restore confidence in the flying public,” said Tory Richardson, CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. “We appreciate the partnership with Pratt Miller and support from the MEDC that enable us to test leading-edge technology to combat the spread of COVID-19.”

“This continues to build on the partnership between Pratt Miller and the state in delivering transportation solutions that reflect the leading-edge technology we aim to provide across all forms of mobility,” said Trevor Pawl, chief mobility officer of the state of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. “Pratt Miller’s ability to pivot their product development capabilities in support of innovative solutions that fight the virus showcases the company’s expertise and the culture of innovation rooted here in Michigan. We’re thrilled to see this pilot off the ground and look forward to its successes.”

“At Pratt Miller we provide solutions to complex mobility problems,” said Simon Dean, Pratt Miller’s Vice President of Mobility and Innovation, following the demonstration.

“COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the way the world moves. LAAD-V is one solution that will allow us to safely get back to business and our daily lives – and thanks to our partnership with MEDC and Gerald R. Ford Airport, we are one step closer.”

About Pratt Miller Mobility

Pratt Miller is a groundbreaking engineering and product development company. The company’s winning roots in motorsports enable their team to deliver ingenious solutions to its clients’ most challenging problems and wildest ideas.

Pratt Miller Mobility serves the spectrum of the mobility industry, from the world’s largest automotive OEM’s to budding start-ups, commercial truck to powersports – to bring their vision into reality.

For more information on LAAD, please visit www.prattmiller.com/LAAD or contact Christopher Andrews at candrews@prattmiller.com

Program to Speed Capability Development and Inform Future Requirements

AUSTIN, TX – Six companies have completed a first-of-its-kind Cohort Program as part of the Army Capability Accelerator (ACA), an effort conducted by Alion Science and Technology in support of the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) and the Army Futures Command (AFC). The Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply (FAAR) Cohort was formed to support the Long Range Precision Fires Cross Functional Team (LRPF CFT) as it works to automate how the Army stores, ships, and loads munitions. The Cohort began Jan. 13 in Austin, Texas, and culminated Apr. 1 with capability concept presentations delivered virtually to LRPF CFT leaders.

During the course of the 12-week FAAR Cohort program, participants were asked to assess the Army’s artillery resupply process and offer solutions that could improve all or part of that process. To aid in their solution development, they worked directly with Soldiers and with one another. The resulting concepts include just-in-time supply chains, a modular robotic arm, and an ammunition management system among other solutions that work together across the complete lifecycle of artillery resupply.

“I remember how simple I thought the problem framing process was a year ago,” said Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, who leads the LRPF CFT. “What came out the other end was very illuminating in terms of how much I still had to learn, the value of having people from the outside look at a problem, and the structure of it. I was blown away by the evaluation of our ammunition process and, in some ways, how amateur it looks to an outsider. It just shows how much we can benefit from this collaboration and from the technology that’s out there that can be applied to a military problem.”

Following an orientation week in Austin, the FAAR Cohort traveled to Fort Bliss for week 2 of the program where they were able to explore the Army’s problem and equipment firsthand. This visit provided new insight that the companies used to produce draft concepts, which they reviewed with LRPF CFT leadership at Fort Sill during week 7. The participants used the information gleaned from that real-time collaboration to enhance and refine the final solution concepts they presented today.

“This is exactly the sort of thing we like to do every day — innovate and find solutions to really challenging problems,” said Matt Carroll, CEO of Pratt Miller, one of the six companies in the FAAR Cohort. “The AAL team that we worked with has been really world class, and it’s been great to work with all of the other companies as well,” added Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and VP of Innovation at Apptronik, which also participated in the FAAR Cohort alongside Actuate, CR Tactical, Neya Systems, and Hivemapper.

The LRPF CFT is exploring next steps with some FAAR Cohort companies as well as how to apply the learning and concepts uncovered through the Cohort Program to future operations and requirements.

“We want to apply this to our model and to our more traditional dealings with industry partners,” said Rafferty. “There are a lot of people who have only done things one way. But this reminded us how many really smart people are out there wanting to help us. What if we have routine periods of collaborating that were more serious than just monitoring the contract… that were actually about solving the problem? This type of exchange should be happening routinely. We should be fostering that. It’s much more powerful.”

ABOUT THE ARMY APPLICATIONS LABORATORY

The Army Applications Laboratory was established in 2018, along with the stand-up of the Army Futures Command, to act as a concierge service across the Army’s Modernization Enterprise (AME) and the broader commercial marketplace of ideas. Based on the 8th floor of the Capital Factory in Austin, AAL’s mission is to align innovative solutions and technologies with Army problems, resources, and programs to rapidly discover, validate, and transition technology applications in support of Army modernization. In other words, AAL exists to connect ideas from a broad range of solvers — startups, entrepreneurs, tech companies, VCs, research labs, and more — with the right people and organizations within the Army to close capability gaps and field novel solutions. Learn more at aal.army.

CONTACT:

Quentin Johnson

Army Applications Laboratory

+1.910.670.9958

quentin.w.johnson.civ@aal.army

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PMD’s EMAV solution for RCV-L Program

Pratt Miller Defense is proud to be supporting the Robotic Combat Vehicle-Light (RCV-L) program, sponsored by the U.S Army.

The QinetiQ North America and Pratt Miller Defense RCV-L solution utilizes Pratt Miller Defense’s Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle (EMAV) and meets the Army’s stringent safety and performance requirements. EMAV has spent a significant amount of time in engineering tests, demonstrations, and experiments which have all included extensive mobility, autonomy, and payload integration testing. The RCV-L variant of EMAV will provide the US Army a mature high-performance platform with low schedule and performance risk and future growth capability.

RCV-L will utilize PMD’s EMAV platform. Check out EMAV in action:

Priority is employee health and safety while continuing to deliver innovative solutions

March 18, 2020 – New Hudson, MI

With the Coronavirus/ COVID-19 pandemic continuing to evolve, we’d like to inform our valued customers and suppliers on how Pratt Miller is operating during this challenging time. Similarly to your business, the health and safety of our team members is our number 1 priority. To that end, we’ve implemented the following guidelines to ensure we are not compromising the well-being of our employees or any of our customer deliverables.

1. Pratt Miller team members who are able, are being encouraged to work remotely. Fortunately for our staff, customers and suppliers, we already had the tools, technology, and processes in place to enable a seamless transition from onsite innovation and collaboration to remote.

2. Our manufacturing operations and technicians are working as they normally would, onsite but with added guidelines and precautions to ensure they are working in a healthy and safe environment.

3. While all of our buildings will remain open, we are following the CDC’s recommendation of “social distancing”.

– If you have an onsite or in-person meeting at Pratt Miller, please contact your meeting host to discuss alternative options. Again, we have the technology to easily allow for virtual meetings and calls.

– In the event an onsite or in-person meeting is necessary, please contact your Pratt Miller host upon your arrival at our office, as our front desk reception personnel will not be available to greet you.

4. All shipments will be received at our Grand River facility located at 52900 Grand River Avenue, New Hudson, MI 48165. Packages that are currently in-transit will be routed to the intended recipient.

Like you, we are taking this seriously and one day at a time. However, with the additional measures mentioned above, we are confident we will not see much, if any, impact on our project deliverables.

If anything changes in our business operations, we will post a notification within our newsfeed.

If you require any special COVID-19 documentation from us, please email info@prattmiller.com.

Record Distance in C8.R Debut

· Garcia, Taylor, Catsburg finish fourth in GTLM

· No. 3 Corvette C8.R completes program-record distance in Rolex 24

· Gavin, Milner, Fässler fight through to finish after mid-race issues

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R finished its maiden race with a fourth-place finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg led the team’s effort Saturday and Sunday in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which had a mostly trouble-free run in its competition debut. The trio completed 785 laps for 2,794.6 miles – the greatest distance for any Corvette entry in Rolex 24 history.

The No. 3 C8.R led twice and was in contention for victory in its first race for the majority of the 24. The performance showed the potential of the mid-engine Corvette, which was developed simultaneously with the 2020 Corvette Stingray.

“It was a tremendous honor to debut the Corvette C8.R at the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona – 22 years after we debuted the C5-R in the same location,” said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance and Motorsports. “I’m so proud of our team and how they prepared and executed the race with the 2020 mid-engine Corvette. I can’t wait for the rest of the season and watch the excitement from our fans grow with every race.”

The No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R of Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler underwent multiple trials Saturday and Sunday, but the trio ultimately finished the race as well. While things looked optimistic in the first eight hours with the team racing inside the top-five, an oil leak near the ninth hour forced the No. 4 Corvette into the garage for extensive work. Complicating matters, the leak was in an area that required the team’s crew to remove the engine in order to make the repair.

Diligent and non-stop work for nearly nine hours brought the Corvette back into the race with the aim of evaluating tire settings and setup options to help the No. 3 for the end of the race.

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a demanding race, so to even finish here with a brand-new car with a brand-new engine is a major accomplishment,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition. “To have both of the new Corvette C8.Rs finish – and one of them nearly finish on the lead lap – is a tremendous reflection of the strength of this car and this program.”

“The Rolex 24 At Daytona is a demanding race, so to even finish here with a brand-new car with a brand-new engine is a major accomplishment,” said Mark Kent, Chevrolet Director of Motorsports Competition. “To have both of the new Corvette C8.Rs finish – and one of them nearly finish on the lead lap – is a tremendous reflection of the strength of this car and this program.”

Corvette Racing’s next event is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 19-21 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway.

Article by Team Chevy

Photos by Richard Prince

A Successful Start to 2020

2020 has definitely kicked off with a bang, quite literally, for our Defense Team.

Shortly after we returned from the holiday break, the team received notification of pre-award for the Robotic Combat Vehicle – Light (RCV-L). For those In the Know, you’ll recall that in late October we announced our partnership with QinetiQ North America (QNA) on the program. While the program is in the “pre-award” phase, we expect to be formally awarded the contract in mid-February. Once officially awarded our engineering and manufacturing teams will be busy designing and building a minimum of 5 new Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicles (EMAVs) to meet the U.S Army’s stringent requirements. We will be sharing updates on the program as we receive them.

And just last week a group from our Defense Team supported the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in an advanced training exercise using our Trackless Moving Target-Vehicle (TMT-V) platforms. The event was held in Gila Bend, AZ in support of the 55th Rescue Squadron (RQS) Night Hawks.

This was TMT-V’s first aerial interdiction event, meaning Black Hawk helicopters firing from the air with 0.50 caliber rounds. It was also our Team’s first public presentation of an autonomy layer developed fully by Pratt Miller. This includes the path planning and path following software on-board the vehicle.

The team was in AZ for a week of live fire drills including 2 night operations. In the end, the team was able to meet what the USAF goal to improve their training regiment while our Team learned what it takes to conduct real training for real what will be real deployment. The USAF shot 20,000-22,000 rounds down range per day and our TMT-V’s drove back on their own.

Our very own Chief Robotics Engineer, Tom Waligora, had this to say after the event, “We had an incredible week. I saw first hand what truly makes Pratt Miller the incredible company it is and I am proud to be part of it. The team put in an 80+ hour week to make this a success. Each person at the event represented everything that makes Pratt Miller the absolute best.”

For more information on Pratt Miller Defense, please contact Stephen Potter at spotter@prattmiller.com

Pratt Miller along with the MEDC, MDOT/PlanetM, and WMU Focus Mobility Efforts on Students with Disabilities

New Hudson, MI – October 23, 2019 – Western Michigan University (WMU) hosted Michigan’s Lt. Governor, Garlin Gilchrist, along with many other government officials earlier this week to view and ride in an automated shuttle funded under the $8 Million Michigan Mobility Challenge.

For the shuttle portion of the program, Pratt Miller Mobility partnered with academia and industry to use technology and innovation to solve mobility gaps, which is the overarching goal of the $8 Million Michigan Mobility Challenge. These industry-leading partners Robotic Research, Comet Mobility, Western Michigan University, University of Michigan, and Easterseals worked with the Pratt & Miller Mobility teams to address vehicle designs, mobility, autonomy, and system integration, accessibility, environment mapping, trip request and planning, and software development.

“We were thrilled to be selected by the MEDC/PlanetM and MDOT to lead the automated shuttle program,” said Christopher Andrews, Pratt Miller Director of Mobility. “Our team embraced the challenge. We brainstormed with a panel of students with disabilities to address a variety of concerns and implemented the best solution possible. The learnings from this program will inform the design of future vehicles to accommodate all people. There is still a lot of work to do to ensure equity, dignity, and mobility for all, and PME plans to be at the forefront of these efforts.”

Government officials, who were able to take one of the first rides in the shuttle, exited the vehicle with great reviews. “It was smooth,” said Lt. Governor Gilchrist. “We made some pretty tight turns and passed pedestrians without any issues.”

During the event the Lt. Governor was able to meet with students with disabilities attending the event. “I was so impressed with the amount of time he [Gilchrist] spent with the students,” said Andrews. “This type of interaction is why this event was so important. Our government officials must understand the issues folks with disabilities contend with—we can absolutely do better for this large portion of the population.”

About Pratt Miller

Pratt Miller is a product development company that through technology and innovation, solves customers’ most technical and complex challenges in the Motorsports, Defense, and Mobility industries.

Media Inquiries Please Contact:

Chris Andrews

313-300-1259

candrews@prattmiller.com

Robotics experts join forces for the US Army Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) competition

New Hudson, MI – October 14, 2019

Pratt Miller Defense has been an active supplier and system integrator in the Defense industry since 2007, designing and building advanced military vehicles and systems for the Department of Defense and many of the world’s largest defense prime contractors. The company specializes in high mobility vehicle solutions that are so off-road capable they can traverse in areas far from enemy sightlines. Combining this background with their electricification and robotic mobility controls expertise, Pratt Miller is designing and building a variety of robotic platforms that range in size and lethality.

One such platform is well known as the Expeditionary Modular Autonomous Vehicle (EMAV). Building on several years of iterative robotics experimentation, the EMAV platform was designed from the ground up as a true drive-by-wire robotic platform against a set of stringent safety and performance requirements.

To help ensure the unique requirements of the RCV Program are met, Pratt Miller has joined forces with QinetiQ North America (QNA). As a leading provider of unmanned systems for the defense market, QNA has over 20 years of experience developing, fielding, and sustaining robotic solutions worldwide. With a focus on modular, interoperable platforms and systems, QNA has led the market by fielding a number of firsts, including IOP compatible robotic platforms and universal operator control units.

Pratt Miller Defense and QinetiQ North America teamed to provide non-developmental solutions for the RCV-L and RCV-M requests for whitepapers, as issued by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) earlier this year.

This exclusive RCV partnership brings together some of the very best talent in the industry. “Our combined cultures of innovation and expertise in supporting the warfighter will provide the US Army with mature world class solutions for the RCV programs.” said Matt Carroll, Pratt Miller CEO. The team’s RCV-L offering will be based on the EMAV platform, which has performed exceptionally well throughout a variety of complex warfighter experimentations while providing unsurpassed operational availability.

“We are very excited about teaming with Pratt Miller for RCV. They bring a heritage of superb expertise and innovation in military vehicles and, more importantly, a passion for delivering the warfighter nothing but the best that matches ours here at QNA” said QinetiQ North America President Jeff Yorsz.

The RCV-L configuration of the EMAV will be displayed in the QNA booth at AUSA 2019 in Washington DC, October 14-16.

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Third-place for Garcia, Magnussen in No. 3 Corvette C7.R; Gavin, Milner take fourth

Article by Ryan Smith

Photo’s by Richard Prince

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 15, 2019) – An aggressive race strategy paid off for Corvette Racing on Sunday as Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen landed on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class podium in the Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R placed third in the next-to-last round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as both yellow Corvettes rebounded from disappointing qualifying efforts Saturday. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, driving the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette, placed fourth as each pairing gained four positions from the first lap of the race to the finish.

Sunday’s results inched Garcia and Magnussen closer in the GTLM Drivers standings. Championship winners the last two years, they are third in points – 15 from the leaders and three from second place – with one race left in the season.

Starting from sixth and seventh on the grid – and running seventh and eighth after a jumbled start from the field – Corvette Racing engineers elected early to go with a three-stop strategy to maximize tire performance at the expense of an extra stop to most of the other GTLM runners. The aggressive strategy also allowed Milner to set the fastest GTLM lap of the race.

Magnussen brought in the No. 3 Corvette in for its first stop 32 minutes into the race and handed off to Garcia, with Gavin swapping the No. 4 C7.R with Tommy Milner a lap later.

Garcia and Magnussen went the rest of the distance on two more stops each – both for tires and fuel. Each time they stopped, the two Corvettes ran first and second, with Garcia making his final stop with 42 minutes left and Milner with 40 minutes to go. When the No. 4 Corvette rejoined, Milner ran fifth and Garcia just ahead in fourth.

It didn’t take long for Garcia and Milner to chase down the third-place BMW of Connor De Phillippi. Garcia, constantly hounding the No. 25 entry for a number of laps, got around and onto the podium with 12 minutes left in the race. Milner followed his teammate through into fourth but traffic eventually halted their pursuit of the second-place car.

Corvette Racing closes the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 12.

Article by Erin Flynn WMU

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Transportation of the future has arrived on the Western Michigan University campus.

Research involving an autonomous electric shuttle officially kicked off Thursday, Sept. 19. The $2.1 million project, funded through the Michigan Mobility Challenge announced by former Gov. Rick Snyder last year and administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation, focuses on improving transportation options for people with disabilities.

“I’m pleased to see that Pratt Miller has brought this important project to campus and appreciate the work of people across the University to pilot this important advance in mobility,” says WMU President Edward Montgomery. “WMU is committed to serving our students and society. This project is an excellent example of that; applying the knowledge of our world-class faculty and students to develop and test cutting-edge transportation technology.”

MDOT, Pratt Miller Engineering, WMU, the University of Michigan, Kevadiya Inc., Robotic Research, Comet Mobility and Easterseals are all collaborating on the project.

The Technology

Engineers at Pratt Miller, the project lead, began work early this year, modifying two shuttles for accessibility. They lengthened the wheel base, added wheelchair restraints and redesigned the interior of the vehicles. From there, in collaboration with project partner Robotic Research, they integrated an autonomous system, allowing the vehicles to run without a driver.

“The testing to ensure the vehicle is safe and functioning as intended was already done at Robotic Research’s facility,” says Jeff Reece of Pratt Miller. “Now we want to get some real-world experience with it; have some real-world passengers in the vehicle and get some feedback.”

Dr. Zach Asher, Nick Goberville and Johan Rojas worked on the project at WMU.

Dr. Zach Asher, WMU assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and graduate students Nick Goberville and Johan Rojas conducted research for WMU’s role in the project. The students helped with environmental mapping and modeling for the shuttles.

“Working with the WMU student researchers on this project has been fantastic,” Reece says. “Their drive to make the project successful is evident in the current on-site preparations they are coordinating.”

“This project is a textbook example of how our WMU researchers collaborate with others to solve real-world problems,” says Dr. Terri Goss Kinzy, vice president for research at WMU. “Dr. Asher has recruited terrific graduate students as part of this work, bringing together our research and academic missions.”

What to Expect

The first shuttle arrived on campus Thursday, Sept. 19. In its initial journeys around campus, engineers will be driving the shuttle manually with a remote control while researchers remotely collect data from sensors and begin mapping the vehicles route. The following week, the second vehicle is expected to arrive.

For the first few weeks, Reece says, researchers will be working on mapping and setup. The technology does not involve a driver, pedals or a steering wheel. A safety operator will, however, be on board at all times, ready to implement one of eight emergency stops if necessary or switch to manual control. Rides will likely begin to be offered in mid-October.

The tentative route would run in a loop from a loading area west of Sangren Hall directly south to the fountain near Sprau Tower. A plan for how riders would request transportation is still being developed.

Engineers ask that if you see the shuttles running on campus during this pilot phase, keep a safe distance away. The vehicles will not exceed 4 mph, and the technology is built to stop them whenever someone or something comes within a few feet.

The project is expected to wrap up at the end of October.