Robotic Research unveils Pegasus

By Marjorie Censer / August 27, 2019 at 2:34 PM

Robotic Research, which focuses on autonomy for both the military and the commercial market, earlier this month showed off its Pegasus, the company's transformable unmanned autonomous vehicle.

The technology was initially developed for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, according to Alberto Lacaze, Robotic Research's president.

The company was founded in 2002 by Lacaze and Karl Murphy, who worked together at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Robotic Research started by working with the Pentagon, but has more recently expanded into commercial work, Lacaze told Inside Defense.

Now, he said, the commercial side of Robotic Research is almost as large as the defense side.

Among the company's current DOD projects are the Army's Expedient Leader Follower program, Robotic Combat Vehicle effort and Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport program.

Lacaze said the Pegasus effort is "relevant to existing programs, but it also creates a new swim lane."

Still, he said, DOD doesn't have a specific program office for transformable robots. That's creating something of a challenge, Lacaze acknowledged, but said soldiers, once they see the technology, can find many uses for it.

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