Pronto4 Strap-on Kit Converts Vehicles Into Real Life (Non-Transforming) Autobots

August 21st, 2009 by: Lambert Varias

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The Pronto4 strap-on kit from Utah-based Kairos Autonomi can turn any ordinary vehicle into an autonomous and unmanned one, able to follow waypoints and can go as fast as 90 mph. Of course, users also have the option to control their vehicles remotely. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could race F1 cars using a remote control?

Kairos Autonomi showed off the Pronto4′s capabilities at the recently held Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International demonstration. The kit was installed on a pickup truck “fitted with a heavy weapon”, and it went through a maze, following waypoints. The folks at Popular Mechanics were kind enough to share the fun of seeing a vehicle drive itself:

The vehicle is steered by a ring of actuators, while the transmission and throttle are “controlled by lines from a main box”.  Like most of the awesome tech we’ve featured here, the Pronto4 is primarily for the military, so they can conduct night missions more easily, or allow one soldier to man the weapons while the vehicle takes care of the driving. Or they could install the kit for vehicles on patrol, and even put it on an expendable car for target practice.

So if you’re thinking of saving up to get your own Pronto4 so your vehicle can also be your designated driver, you’re out of luck. The kit isn’t sold to the public. Not yet anyway. Man, I can think of a dozen pranks that you can pull off with this kit. Viva technology!

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