SMARTRUCK III
The SmarTruck III vehicle prototype combined the
lessons learned from the build of the first two
SmarTruck concepts into a singular vehicle system. This
new concept revisited the common operator control
station that was pioneered during the SmarTruck I build
and included the modular approach of SmarTruck II along
with a host of new surveillance and defensive
technologies intended to enhance soldier safety. The
selection of the base vehicle was also revisited as the
team found that beefing up the suspension and wheels on
the light-duty commercial trucks of the first two
prototypes in order to carry heavier loads was not an
ideal approach. International came onboard with a
purpose-built medium-duty truck that eventually became
its first International MXT prototype. With a more
appropriately rated chassis, we were able to install an
NIJ Level IV armor package and carry an enhanced
equipment package.
SmarTruck III was designed to be a mobile command post
with integrated surveillance, communications, and remote
controlled weaponry onboard. Much like SmarTruck II, the
modular approach was used to outfit this prototype with
add-on technologies. By adopting modularity as part of
the design, the team could demonstrate how a SmarTruck
family of vehicles might be equipped with any number of
technologies suited a variety of mission requirements.
SmarTruck III was loaded with two modules, a weapons
module with a remote controlled, retractable .50-calibre
machine gun mount and a surveillance module that housed
a pop-up night vision camera system and an eleven lens
integrated spherical camera system that was mounted on a
30-foot retractable mast. SmarTruck III included
Nuclear, Biologoical, and Chemical detection along with
a countermeasure system that deployed countermeasure
canisters loaded with smoke or tear gas for crowd
control. SmarTruck III’s interior is where ICRC’s
contributions really shined. The full-sized quad cab of
the International Truck allowed us to build a full bulk
head in front of the rear seats to create operator
stations housing two 19” touchscreen monitors along with
fingerprint authentication and twin 7.5” dedicated video
monitors that allowed soldiers to monitor any of the ten
camera feeds located around the vehicle. Our software
group built three dedicated rack-mounted computer
systems with custom software that was capable of
controlling all onboard systems though the 19”
touchscreens. SmarTruck III was a fully integrated,
state of the art command and control center.
My role in the project was as the lead designer and
program manager. I worked with a team of engineers to
conceptualize the integration of all technologies,
perform the necessary technology assessments, and
propose a final system to our government customer. Once
the system plan was approved, I worked with our customer
to secure funding for the program and write the
necessary contracts. I then selected the appropriate
subcontractor to build the interior bulkhead and
electronic mounts (most of the electronics were mounted
in racks under the three rear seats in the cab) and
worked through our contracting department to write the
necessary scopes of work to complete the interior build.
Working with a team of ICRC software engineers we
created the common user interface and integrated all of
the SmarTruck electronics allowing them to be controlled
by ICRC developed custom software that was accessed by
the 19” touchscreens. I was also in charge of creating
all the wiring harnesses and wiring up the vehicle in
preparation for the SmarTruck’s debut.
SmarTruck III appeared at the SAE World Congress and in
several television and print publications including a
couple of History Channel produced programs.
