The Department of Defense has introduced CHAPPIE, a quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle, or QUGV, being developed for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear—a.k.a. CBRN—field operations.
The U.S. Space Force said Tuesday CHAPPIE is one of two QUGVs at the Buckley Space Force Base repurposed for CBRN operations.
What Are CHAPPIE’s Main Features?
CHAPPIE is an unmanned system that is enhanced with remote CBRN sensing capabilities. It has an updated inventory of detectors that separates it from other systems utilized for CBRN defense.
The QUGV is still under development to enhance its capabilities, including its agility, mobility and ability to navigate challenging terrains. With emerging innovations, particularly in artificial intelligence and sensor technologies, there is the potential to boost CHAPPIE’s ability to detect and respond to threats quickly and more accurately.
Dominic Garcia, section chief of the Installation Office of Emergency Management, started the QUGV project in 2022 after he received $1.24 million from the Small Business Innovation Research Grant through AFWERX, the technology and trial experimentation division of the Air Force Research Laboratory. The developers managed to conduct tests at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and Dugway Proving Ground in just 20 months. At present, the project is 90 percent complete.
“This QUGV is not only an operational game-changer for CBRN defense but also serves as a proof of concept for technological innovation within the Air and Space Forces,” said Garcia. “The AFWERX vehicle allows end-users from the force, regardless of rank, to collaborate directly with industry to develop what the multi-capable warfighter needs at the speed of relevance, not 10 to 15 years later.”
