MINDSHEET

If this team had its way, tomorrow's soldiers wouldn't be able to walk past a Toys R Us without breaking into a sweat. The fleet of four UGVs that Mindsheet deployed were made from off-the-shelf radio-controlled toy cars fitted with off-the-shelf sensors and communications gear. "This is an awesome vehicle," says Raglan Tribe, managing director of Mindsheet Ltd. The Traxxas EMAXX can power through wet terrain and over curbs, and has a maximum speed of 30 mph. "You can drop it from about 2 meters without damaging it," says Tribe. "We haven't wasted any time or resources reengineering the chassis. The same applies to the vehicle controller, the sensors, communications, etc. Instead, we are putting our effort into threat detection algorithms and vehicle control behaviors." Using commercial gear could streamline maintenance, but if the backpack-portable drones ever make it to the battlefield, their existing battery life would be boosted. Mindsheet's UGVs navigate the training village with full autonomy, but once potential targets are spotted, classifying each threat requires some human assistance. Before the competition Tribe noted, "We might lose a few points, but it's probably the only way to pick out the IED and sniper."