Stratom launches autonomous ground vehicle refueling solution

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Stratom RAPID uses an industrial robot arm to autonomously refuel a military vehicle. | Credit: Stratom

Stratom is a Colorado based, veteran owned robotics company that is helping to automate various logistics processes for the US military. Today, the company launched RAPID, its autonomous refueling, recharging and liquid transfer system for rugged environments and a wide variety of applications.

The solution leverages a commercial industrial robot arm to autonomously locate a refueling port on a vehicle and then deliver the fuel. The system is ruggedized and designed to be deployed in the field, in adverse and difficult conditions.

Stratom’s core autonomy software drives the entire system, and the solution is versatile enough so that it can be configured for any number of mounting use cases and fuel types.

RAPID is adaptable to different vehicle types and can be deployed for a variety of applications, from mining, warehouse operations, trucking, aviation and cargo movement to high-volume container refilling and the transport of other materials, including water, other liquids and hazardous wastes.

The system can be operated in both autonomous and human-operated use cases. It can be operated remotely, so that the refueling operator can remain in another vehicle, bunker or a safe distance away. Vehicle operators do not need to exit their vehicles during the refueling operation.

“Autonomy is transforming how we live, work, learn and entertain ourselves. Trends are increasingly showing that applications of this technology center around autonomous vehicles and the deployment of autonomous fleets,” said Mark Gordon, president and CEO of Stratom. “As the world moves toward an autonomous future, why bring humans back in the loop? At Stratom, we automate monotonous, difficult or dangerous tasks to help keep organizations — and their most valuable asset, their people — operating safely and at peak efficiency.”

Stratom has already deployed the RAPID solution to refuel helicopters. | Credit: Stratom

Stratom has deployed a number of autonomous refueling solutions including helicopter refueling stations. The portability of the solution is key to the design as it allows the entire system to be transported and deployed to support mobile operations in the field.

The operational benefits of RAPID include:

• Reduced human exposure to hazardous environments
• Improved productivity and efficiency of fuel delivery system
• Streamlined configurability as a self-sufficient containerized system
• Ruggedized design for deployment in the most austere environments
• Increased resilience of operations

“Delivering a completely customized, groundbreaking solution aligned with the evolution of autonomous vehicles empowers Stratom to partner with innovative companies across industries to continue to solve the most pressing real-world operational challenges,” said Ryan DelGizzi, Stratom’s director of engineering. “With RAPID, crewed and uncrewed transportation and logistics operations decision-makers can significantly increase project flexibility and cost-efficiency while simultaneously solving productivity and safety challenges related to conveying significant amounts of liquid or fueling or recharging autonomous systems, vehicles, aircraft and other platforms.”