Applied Robotics for Installations and Base Operations


Applied Robotics for Installation and Base Operations (ARIBO) is a different approach to technology transition. It coordinates development, investment, and operational use to accelerate fielding automated technologies. It provides the opportunity to align objectives across government agencies and affordably leverage federal investments in automated ground systems (e.g. DOT, NASA, DOE, VA, etc.) for common goals.

ARIBO is a living laboratory concept that produces "co-evolutionary" technical and social-behavioral value - a cycle of data collection, reliability analysis, and technical & behavioral improvement. Users learn and adapt their behavior as they become increasingly familiar and comfortable using and interacting with autonomous systems; concurrently, the systems are refined and improved to accommodate user behavior and emergent operational needs.


Technology can improve the efficiency and safety of vehicles on our roadways. Both technical and operational refinement are needed to fully understand the most advantageous and cost-effective applications that will accelerate the widespread adoption of (semi)autonomous systems. ARIBO will investigate four broad operational areas where technology supports on-base and CONUS operational scenarios and is likely to translate well or feed transition to warfighter kinetic or service support operations. These CONUS applications are: 1) personal mobility, 2) logistics & convoy operations, 3) warehousing & maintenance, and 4) security operations. The technical issues to be explored and refined include: energy efficiency, system reliability, system endurance, V2X communications, data transmission security, HMI, obstacle avoidance, navigation and mapping, and fault tolerance.

Concept of Operations

ARIBO is a series of pilot projects. Users continuously interact with the technology(ies), identifying improvements and discovering new uses at the same time they are becoming more comfortable with the technology. Throughout this agile feedback loop, valuable data are collected documenting operational, maintenance, and reliability factors which, in turn, improve the veracity of the business case and help target future system improvements. Users come to understand the technology; its capabilities; its potential. Developers come to understand the real uses and required tweaks to the systems; their real costs; their real benefits.

ARIBO strategic objectives:

1. Socialize users and non-users with automated systems

2. Identify operational issues and help with development of mitigation strategies to increase use of automated systems

3. Generate empirical data (e.g. performance, reliability, maintenance, etc.)

Summary: Progress toward these objectives will accelerate tech transition delivering better, less-expensive products to warfighters.

Contact: Dr. Edward Straub; U.S. Army TARDEC; 703-304-5958;

Related Documents:

ARIBO Overview [PDF]