"Crusher" Unmanned Ground Vehicle is Virtually Unstoppable

In its quest to field the ultimate ground combat vehicle, the U.S. military is taking a close look at the Crusher. This large scale, unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) operates autonomously in a wide range of complex, off-road terrains.

Crusher is the next generation of ground vehicles and the world's first greater-than-6-ton, cross-country UGV designed from the ground up, offering more mobility, reliability, maintainability and flexibility than earlier UGVs. If you're into off-roading, a career operating and maintaining this bad boy would be tempting indeed.

The Crusher features a high-strength aluminum frame and a suspended, shock-mounted high strength steel skid plate. It's a nasty combo that allows it to shrug off massive, below-hull strikes from gut-tearing boulders and tree stumps. The Crusher can also take a "punch in the nose"--withstanding normal impacts with trees and surviving major collisions. Crusher can comfortably carry over 8,000 pounds of payload and armor. It can climb over a 4-foot vertical wall and reach a top speed of 26 miles per hour.

Best of all, its hybrid electric system lets it move with stealth on a single battery charge. The batteries are charged by a 60kW turbo diesel engine. Both engine and batteries work intelligently to deliver power to Crusher's 6-wheel motor-in-hub drive system.

A LADAR (Laser Detection and Ranging) system works symbiotically with an advanced camera system, allowing the Crusher to dynamically react to obstacles and travel through a kilometer of tough terrain.

For an additional perspective, check out this video: