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Leader-Follower Autonomous Vehicle Technology
The US Army has been working on ways to reduce the number of drivers needed for caravans of vehicles.
(US Army vehicles in caravan)
Semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles offer the opportunity to significantly reduce the number of troops required to conduct a convoy. The Army is developing leader-follower technology, which allows a manned lead vehicle to travel along a route and have some semi-autonomous vehicles following along in the sequence. A hypothetical 20-vehicle convoy with a driver and assistant driver per vehicle equates to a massive reduction in required manpower from 40 Soldiers to two.
Science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson gave military planners a heads-up by describing this idea seventy years ago in Carry Me Home:
Jason signed off the transport and gave the order to mount, taking the lead car himself, with Kerl in the bucket seat beside him. The transparent tops of the cars were shut and the caravan led off up a steep and unmarked valley toward a pass into the mountains...
“Now,” said Jason, turning to his passenger as they topped the pass. “Where to?”
“...North,” he said. “Straight north until we pick up sign.”
Jason nodded and turned the car off in the direction of the canyon. Like obedient mechanical sheep, the cars behind swung through the turn, each in their proper order, and followed him.
(Car Caravan from 'Carry Me Home' by Gordon R. Dickson)Jason had been guiding the caravan of cars as usual, his hands on the controls...
Abruptly, Kerl shot out an arm and skidded the car to a halt. Behind them the rest of the detachment slammed brakes to keep from piling up.
(Read more about Dickson's car caravan)
Why is the US Army so concerned about trying to reduce the number of personnel needed to move materiel in convoys? Legendary science fiction illustrator EMSH shows us:
(Danger in 'Carry Me Home' by Gordon R. Dickson)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/21/2025)
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