Daimler Truck, ARX Robotics partner on defense mobility

Daimler Truck and ARX Robotics seek to integrate robotics and AI into military vehicles. (Photo: Daimler Truck)

Daimler Truck and ARX Robotics, a Munich-based company specializing in unmanned autonomous land systems, have signed a letter of intent for a strategic partnership that seeks to integrate robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies from ARX Robotics into vehicle platforms from Daimler Truck in the future in order to achieve greater networking, operational capability and efficiency of the vehicles. In particular, the military vehicle variants of the Unimog and Zetros series from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will be enabled for a broader range of tasks through sensor and software modules and the use of AI.

“We are currently investing and growing in the defense sector in order to meet customer needs even better and offer specialized solutions for military tasks. We are looking forward to working with ARX Robotics, one of the leading startups for autonomous ground systems,” said Daniel Zittel, head of Defense Sales, Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, of the strategic partnership. “Digitalization and AI will play a key role in the defense sector, especially in cyber defense, defense logistics and international cooperation.”

Through equipment upgrades and the integration of the Mithra OS operating system from ARX Robotics, vehicle fleets will be given the ability to network with other software-defined systems, such as compatible vehicles or drones. This will simplify a coordinated approach by the various units, which is particularly important for multi-domain operations such as missions that involve simultaneous action on the ground and in the air.

Through equipment upgrades and the integration of the Mithra OS operating system from ARX Robotics, the vehicle fleets will be given the ability to network with other software-defined systems. (Photo: Daimler Truck)

The technological centerpiece is the ARX Core, the central computing and networking unit that will be installed in the vehicles and support the integration of various sensors, cameras and radio systems and enable object recognition and fast data acquisition and transmission combined with AI. This should enable the vehicles, for example, to autonomously find the best route in open terrain, carry out remote-controlled landmine clearance or evacuate injured people from risk areas without putting crew members in danger, the announcement noted.

Zetros prototypes will initially be equipped with the digital systems from ARX Robotics. After the technical implementation, Daimler Truck and ARX Robotics plan to test different application scenarios and enable other vehicle types, such as the Unimog, for comprehensive networking, teleoperation and autonomous driving in open terrain.

“The future of land forces is software-defined, as this is the only way they can act in a closely networked manner when needed. Modern vehicles should therefore be able to incorporate the latest software and AI modules to be an efficient part of the NATO armed forces,” said Marc Wietfeld, co-founder and CEO of ARX Robotics. “The solutions from ARX Robotics, implemented in the off-road vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, can ensure significantly greater efficiency in the defense vehicle sector. Our planned joint project follows a European approach and aims to strengthen the innovative power and competitiveness of the European defense industry.”

To optimize the contribution to the renewal of the NATO vehicle fleet, the companies will pursue equipping existing and new vehicles with digital capabilities or retrofitting them for faster implementation and better use of existing resources.