The U.S. Army Research Laboratory Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance (RCTA) has made significant advances in perception and planning that enabled true unmanned ground vehicle autonomous navigation. Perception advances included laser radar sensing and near- and mid-range perception algorithms. Planning aspects included global/local route planning, shared map data, and the ability to use time as a planning factor. True autonomous navigation is characterized as a capability for both planning the vehicle course and controlling the position of the vehicle on the route. This opened the door to a myriad of operational-like capabilities, which we call tactical behaviors. This paper provides an overview of the assessment process in the RCTA and illustrates a successful feedback loop with developers supported by periodic field assessment of developing technologies.
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