The PATH project aims to pave the way for using advanced Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) in combat situations in various military deployment scenarios. The focus here is on the direct support of military units such as light infantry in difficult terrain and adverse environmental conditions. The project defines advanced UGVs as systems that offer automated navigation capabilities in difficult terrain beyond teleoperation on sight and follow-me.

The PATH project is based on the following four pillars. The first pillar comprises the detailed definition of the relevant operational scenarios and technical requirements by the Austrian Ministry of Defense experts. Based on a well-founded evaluation methodology for such missions, an evaluation of the mission scenarios using a state-of-the-art robot platform is to be made possible. The other three pillars comprise the expansion of the capabilities of such platforms to cover the specific capabilities required by the Austrian Ministry of Defense and the Austrian Armed Forces as far as possible. The pillar "Extension Mobility UGV" aims to develop a predictive automatic reconfiguration of the vehicle to be able to react to difficult terrain such as mule tracks or changing ground conditions. The pillar "Extension of sensor technology UGV" aims at a multi-modal sensor concept that allows a reliable perception of the entire environment including ground conditions, topography, and obstacles in adverse conditions such as night or rain. The "Enhanced Perception and Navigation UGV" pillar aims to improve environmental recognition (geometric and semantic) and the planning and execution of trajectories in difficult terrain. The results from these four pillars should make it possible to demonstrate prototypically the automated navigation of a UGV on difficult terrain such as mule tracks.

The PATH project team combines the experience of military users with expertise from the fields of mechanical and vehicle engineering, sensor technology, and multi-modal sensor data processing as well as robotics and artificial intelligence. The results will be prototypically integrated into a highly mobile robotics platform and evaluated in corresponding field trials such as the Austrian Alpine Robot Trail (AART).