astronomy

TerraMax

TerraMax is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand TerraMax rather than just read about it. In short: TerraMax is the trademark for autonomous/unmanned ground vehicle technology developed by Oshkosh Defense. Primary military uses for the technology are seen as reconnaissance missions and freight transport in high-risk areas without the need of human operators, protecting the soldiers from possible attacks, ambushes or the threat of mines and IEDs.

Key takeaways

TerraMax belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect TerraMax to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of TerraMax from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

TerraMax is the trademark for autonomous/unmanned ground vehicle technology developed by Oshkosh Defense. Primary military uses for the technology are seen as reconnaissance missions and freight transport in high-risk areas without the need of human operators, protecting the soldiers from possible attacks, ambushes or the threat of mines and IEDs. The technology could also be used in civilian settings, such as autonomous snow clearing at airports. The original TerraMax vehicle was based on Oshkosh’s 6x6 Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) and this was entered in the 2004 and 2005 DARPA Grand Challenges. A 4x4 variant was subsequently developed for, and entered in, the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge. Since then, Oshkosh has continued developing the technology and in addition to four MTVRs has fitted the technology to its Palletized Load System (PLS), Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV). and MRAP All Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV).

Development and history Oshkosh actively commenced development of the TerraMax in mid-2003. In the 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge (March 13–14, 2004) Team TerraMax was one of only seven teams to successfully navigate the qualifying course, going on to manage 1.2 miles on the race course before being ‘confronted’ by an impassable bush. The 2004 Team TerraMax consisted of Oshkosh Truck (now Oshkosh Defense), University of Parma's Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VisLab), Teledyne Scientific Company, Auburn University, IBEO and Caterpillar. At the time, Don Verhoff, Oshkosh's executive vice president of technology explained that: "although design development may continue for years, the idea of a driverless convoy of defense vehicles to deliver supplies to the front line, never jeopardizing the welfare of a single driver, is closer than one might imagine." In October 2005 a second-generation TerraMax was one of five vehicles to complete the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge 132-mile desert course. Unofficial run time was 12 hours and 51 minutes, this outside of the 10-hour limit to qualify for the $2 million prize money. The 2005 Team TerraMax consisted of Oshkosh Truck, Rockwell Collins, University of Parma's Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VisLab) and several financial sponsors. Continuing development of TerraMax technologies, in January 2006 Oshkosh unveiled an unmanned version of its Palletized Load System (PLS) truck at the U.S. Army Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Component Technology Demonstrations in Yuma, Arizona. East. In 2007 Team TerraMax competed in the DARPA Urban Challenge with a 4x4 MTVR. In June 2010, Oshkosh Defense was awarded the U.S. Marine Corps Cargo UGV (CUGV) initiative contract. The contract was awarded by US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) and the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise Robotics Technology Consortium. The first evaluation for the cargo UGV was completed in May 2011 at Fort Pickett. In October 2010 at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Washington Convention Center, Oshkosh displayed an FMTV Load Handling System (LHS) variant fitted with TerraMax technology. In May 2014 Oshkosh announced that to demonstrate capabilities for route-clearance missions it had integrated its TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology onto an Oshkosh MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV). The vehicle was demonstrated in June 2014 at the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris where it was equipped with a mine roller and autonomously navigated a course that simulated military route clearance missions. The company was awarded a contract to evaluate the CUGV as a route clearing UGV, an effort that saw three vehicles working together. The trials took place at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, in April 2015. Also in 2015, the US Army worked on requirements documentation for the introduction of leader-follower technology for the Oshkosh 10×10 PLS logistics and support vehicles, which would be used initially as a driver safety mechanism for functions such as braking. In 2016, TerraMax-equipped vehicles took part in the Autonomous Ground Resupply Programme. Under the programme, the vehicles were expected to demonstrate the carrying of cargo from the point of embarkation to a forward-operating base (FOB) and then to a patrol base.

Other autonomous projects

Oshkosh is also involved in a number of other autonomous vehicle projects in conjunction with partners that include TARDEC, Lockheed Martin, Robotic Research, and DCS. In 2016, Oshkosh PLS vehicles took part in the Autonomous Ground Resupply Programme. Under the programme, the vehicles were expected to demonstrate the carrying of cargo from the point of embarkation to a forward-operating base (FOB) and then to a patrol base. On 27 June 2018, as part of the Expedient Leader Follower (ExLF) programme, Oshkosh received USD49 million to integrate its autonomous technology onto PLS vehicles. The TARDEC-led programme was awarded through an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract and is intended to facilitate the transition to an official Program of Record. The programme is expected to last until the end of its contract term in March 2021. In early 2019, a fleet of ten vehicles was outfitted with autonomous technology and subjected to government qualification and safety evaluations. This initial phase was succeeded by the integration of autonomous technology into an additional sixty vehicles, which were then slated for participation in an Operational Technical Demonstration (OTD) in early 2020. Oshkosh began integrating an initial 10 autonomy kits upon the award for the engineering test, verification, validation, and ATEC Safety Release, and will integrate another 60 kits for fiscal year 2019 for OTDs. The OTDs will occur in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020. The contract holds an option to procure up to 150 autonomy kits.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TerraMax

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TerraMax claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to TerraMax before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about TerraMax ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of TerraMax

In research: TerraMax appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses TerraMax in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: TerraMax is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics DARPA Grand Challenge, Experimental self-driving cars, Oshkosh vehicles, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for TerraMax outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study TerraMax in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what TerraMax means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain TerraMax out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is TerraMax in simple terms?

Why does TerraMax matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study TerraMax?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on TerraMax.