Nuneaton-based Horiba MIRA (www.horiba-mira.com) has been awarded a £700,000 cross-Government collaborative-programme contract for the second phase of the Autonomous Last Mile Re-supply System (ALMRS) project.

This is intended to deliver advanced designs for drones and robots that could dramatically change how humanitarian aid shipments or supplies for front-line troops are delivered.

Horiba MIRA will develop its own end-to-end logistics re-supply capability, using its Viking all-terrain multi-role UGV platform.

This two-tonne robot can deliver up to 600kg of supplies over 200km, assisted by advanced AI-based autonomous systems, advanced terrain perception and object recognition.

It also uses a novel low-bandwidth communication system for command and control. Of the 142 Phase One proposals submitted in the summer of 2017, Horiba MIRA is now one of the five to enter Phase Two.

The Viking prototype ALMRS system will be tested and demonstrated on Salisbury Plain this autumn.

Horiba MIRA’s work in the defence sector spans engineering consultancy, testing, product design and prototype build.