IDV Robotics

PUSHING BOUNDARIES THROUGH INNOVATION

OF UNCREWED TECHNOLOGIES TITANS

As a global leader in cutting-edge uncrewed vehicle technology, IDV Robotics is at the forefront of innovation in robotics and autonomous systems. Dr Geoff Davis, Managing Director, highlights how the company intends to become an indispensable aid to the defence and civil sectors in the UK and internationally

Writer: Lucy Pilgrim | Project Manager: Thomas Arnold

From its base in the Midlands, IDV Robotics is leading the development of uncrewed ground vehicles and autonomus vehicle technology for use in a wide range of defence and security applications. Over the years, it has worked closely with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to discover how Robotics and Autonomous systems (RAS) can transform the future of the battlefield.

“The UK MoD has been a very good customer for us over the years. We’ve been a trusted research partner working particularly closely with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) as well as other parts of the UK MoD on the development of uncrewed vehicles and associated robotic and autonomous systems technologies,”

introduces Dr Geoff Davis, Managing Director.

The business activity was first established in 2008 as a research activity within MIRA, a UK-based research, engineering, and development company that was experimenting with autonomous vehicle technology at the time. This was just after the renowned Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) challenges and the spike of interest and activity in uncrewed vehicles.

“Whilst initially automotive focused, we soon identified the opportunity for the defence sector and the team participated in a UK-based competition with its autonomous vehicle technology, known as the MoD Grand Challenge, subsequently winning an award for best use of

autonomy,” Dr Davis explains.

For the project in question, the company designed a small, autonomous vehicle that was used to demonstrate the potential of autonomy in a mixed environment.

Following the success of this operation, IDV Robotics began converting donor vehicles with uncrewed technology so they could be operated remotely or by teleoperation, further proving the potential of the technology in a defence environment.

In 2010 the company experienced a key turning point in its trajectory when the team was awarded a contract to help develop uncrewed vehicles for use by the UK MoD in Afghanistan.

Known as Project Panama, the team and its technology were instrumental in building a fleet of vehicles for detecting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that were causing many casualties for the armed forces at the time.

“As part of a bigger, protected mobility fleet of vehicles for route clearing, this project was vital to building our relationship and reputation for uncrewed vehicles with the UK MoD.”

“It was our spotlight moment; this is when we became acclaimed for uncrewed vehicle technology and our capabilities really grew and accelerated,” comments Dr Davis.

Upon completing Project Panama, the company commenced various R&D exercises for the MoD and other overseas clients, developing uncrewed systems for existing military vehicles and subsequently for its own dedicated uncrewed ground vehicle platform, which has subsequently

evolved into the VIKING vehicle. Using the autonomous control equipment that has been developed, refined, and tested during this period, the VIKING vehicle is capable of operating remotely or autonomously, beyond the line of sight, and executing critical missions and tasks as required by the user.

MIRA was then sold to the HORIBA Group to become HORIBA MIRA. Subsequently, the decision was made to extract the uncrewed

EME OUTLOOK: TO WHAT EXTENT ARE IDV ROBOTICS STAFF A VALUABLE ASSET, AND HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS?

Dr. Geoff Davis, Managing Director: “Our employees are incredibly valuable, as without them, we don’t really exist. We’re a small company, so each staff member plays a critical role.

“We value all our employees as some areas are very difficult to recruit in, such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicle capability, and software development.

“As we grow, we intend to maintain our start-up atmosphere and environment to try and make the company a positive, enjoyable place to work that brings out the best in each individual.”

“WE ARE A HIGH-TECH, HIGH-VALUE COMPANY WITH INCREDIBLY BRIGHT PEOPLE WHO ARE DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO ANY NATION’S DEFENCE CAPABILITY”

– DR GEOFF DAVIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IDV ROBOTICS

ground vehicle business from the organisation to become its own entity, eventually becoming a part of Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) in February 2023, now known as IDV Robotics.

DEVELOPING THE DEFENCE SECTOR

Based in Northern Italy, IDV is a specialist defence vehicle manufacturer and a division of the Iveco Group. Whilst headquartered in Italy, its footprint spans the rest of Europe, as well as North and South America.

“With a long history in the supply of a wide range of military vehicles, IDV is now witnessing the growing interest in uncrewed vehicles in a defence environment and the increased opportunity for more capable ground vehicle solutions.

“In parallel, the company has been growing its international presence and has historically had little activity in the UK market. Combined, these factors made the

case for investment in what is now IDV Robotics,” contextualises Dr Davis.

As a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME), IDV Robotics currently comprises 30 employees and is projected for progressive growth, both in the domestic market and abroad, by building teams with its parent company.

“We’ll be looking to expand into other markets, including the US, so that in a few years we will have

capable teams outside the UK to enhance our reach and engagement with global customers.”

The company’s decided growth into the international market begs the question – what is the UK Government’s industrial strategy to enhance the capabilities of defence uncrewed technologies and support the growth of the industry?

“We are a high-tech, highvalue company with incredibly bright people who are developing technology that could really make a difference to any nation’s defence capability. Due to its incredibly high value, there’s huge potential for the UK to build expertise and industry in this space and become a market leader,” highlights Dr Davis.

This is particularly pertinent given the defence sector has received a huge amount of international interest in recent years. The opportunities afforded by uncrewed vehicle technology not only have the potential to make the MoD more effective and efficient, but also to save lives.

THE IMPACT OF THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE

The recent conflict in Ukraine demonstrates the continued need for the application of uncrewed technologies on land, in the air, or at sea.

“The world has been watching Ukraine and seeing how uncrewed technologies are being utilised, as people adapt and learn how to maximise their potential,” emphasises Dr Davis.

As such, international powers have been reevaluating their investment in defence, which demonstrates a recognition that uncrewed technology offers huge potential to make armed forces more effective while keeping people safe and saving lives.

“WE APPRECIATE THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE REGIONAL SMES THAT WE WORK WITH; THEY HAVE BEEN VERY PROACTIVE IN HELPING US QUICKLY EVOLVE TO OUR EVER-CHANGING

– DR GEOFF DAVIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IDV ROBOTICS

“It means that vehicles can undertake dangerous tasks where you wouldn’t want a member of your team

ENACTING A LONG-TERM

Dr Davis has witnessed the UK MoD become very active in recent years in the R&D of uncrewed vehicles, which has allowed IDV Robotics to support the development and trial of the technology, culminating in the 2022 publication of its robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) strategy.

Yet, despite the spike in activity, there has been a recent slowdown in the UK as priorities and finances are

allocated elsewhere.

“As a result, we’ve really noticed that European nations and other NATO allies are catching up. Some of them are increasingly active in uncrewed vehicle technology – investing in R&D programmes and trials.

“As the technology, understanding, and expertise improves, we expect to see nations looking to use this technology as part of their regular operations. I don’t expect to see fully autonomous unbounded solutions being deployed in the immediate term, as the technology is not sufficiently mature, but there are many use cases where autonomy can be effective.

GEAR UP FOR THE FUTURE WITH MANAGED IT SUPPORT

From maintaining your operations to providing 24/7 monitoring and everything in between.

Discover how our Managed IT Support transformed HORIBA MIRA’s operations and find out how we can do the same for you.

Learn more and get in touch with our experts

“Our challenge is to identify these scenarios and have a laser focus on developing the technical solutions. Once usage in these scenarios starts to increase, confidence will improve, the technology will accelerate, and we can expect to see wider acceptance.

So, whilst the UK has been active to date, I do fear that it risks dropping behind,” highlights Dr Davis.

CREATING UNSTOPPABLE TECHNOLOGY

IDV Robotics is heavily invested in the latest innovations and enabling technologies such as AI, sensor, and computing capabilities. The company

works hard to remain at the forefront of this rapidly changing industry.

For example, computational technology, which is key to the future success of uncrewed vehicles, can become obsolete every 18 to 24 months, with the next generation of technology becoming more capable and powerful.

A key driver of change in computational hardware is the growth of AI, which IDV Robotics is embracing to improve the performance of its uncrewed systems.

“We use AI to ensure our autonomous technology is the best it can possibly be, as well as integrating

vehicles with payloads that allow us to achieve some very interesting capability,” adds Dr Davis.

A particular specialism of the business is its unique, patentprotected technology that allows it to operate in a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) denied environment. This means that when a vehicle loses connection with GPS, the vehicle is still able to locate itself.

As an SME, the company would not be able to achieve its technological expertise without a solid and flexible supply chain consisting of both local and international partners.

Unfortunately, much of the

computing hardware and sensor technology utilised by IDV Robotics is supplied from outside the UK, as there are limited options for this equipment, which is a sad reflection on the UK supply chain.

However, for the more traditional platform elements, such as the vehicle chassis and powertrain, the company has a predominantly UK-based supply chain.

“We appreciate the flexibility of the regional SMEs that we work with; they have been very proactive in helping us quickly evolve to our ever-changing needs,” Dr Davis tells us.

When looking towards the coming

year, IDV Robotics has three main priorities. Firstly, the company wishes to continue to evolve its technology, improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of its uncrewed solutions.

Secondly, the company wants to enhance its successful presence overseas, winning major contracts across the EU and widening its customer base.

Finally, given IDV Robotics’ journey in recent months and its growth plans, the business endeavours to create the best working environment possible under new ownership.

“We ask ourselves: how do we

continue to invest and create the best working environment to make this a place where people really want to work,” closes Dr Davis.

info@idv-robotics.com

www.idvgroup.com