Collaboration pairs field-proven autonomy with an adaptable unmanned ground vehicle to accelerate robotic construction capability
PITTSBURGH — Aug. 5 — Neya Systems and GS Engineering today announced a strategic collaboration to advance robotic and autonomous construction equipment in support of defense capability development. By combining Neya’s N-Drive™ autonomy for platforms and payloads with GS Engineering’s Remote Expeditionary Autonomous Pioneer (REAPr) uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) and systems integration expertise, the two companies aim to deliver an integrated, field-ready autonomy capability that removes warfighters from the most dangerous, dull, and physically demanding engineering tasks.
“Robotic and autonomous construction equipment has the potential to fundamentally change how warfighters conduct associated tasks, ensuring increased safety and efficiency,” said Brady Sheehan, senior robotics engineer, Neya Systems. “By bringing our N-Drive autonomy together with GS Engineering’s robust REAPr platform, we can put a capable, ready-to-field solution in the hands of the warfighter faster.”
Neya Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Applied Research Associates, brings mature, field-tested autonomy purpose-built for the demands of construction engineering tasks. Its N-Drive autonomy delivers robust off-road mobility and construction-specific behaviors in challenging, unstructured environments, built on an open, modular architecture that avoids vendor lock and eases integration across platforms. Neya’s Mission Planning and Management System (MPMS) for multi-asset orchestration and fleet management further enables a single operator to coordinate multiple crewed and uncrewed assets with minimal cognitive burden. This capability has been matured through years of collaboration with defense stakeholders and demonstrated in warfighter touchpoints and experiments, where troops have independently conducted autonomous engineering operations after minimal training.
GS Engineering contributes the REAPr UGV, a modular, open architecture, and autonomy-ready robotic platform designed for high-risk, expeditionary engineering and sustainment tasks. REAPr features a modular, payload swappable design that allows a single system to perform a wide range of construction missions, along with the ability to operate under both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight command. GS Engineering’s deep systems integration expertise ensures the platform and autonomy work seamlessly together, and REAPr has already proven itself in experimentation, where warfighters quickly achieved proficiency.
“REAPr was engineered from the ground up for expeditionary support,” said James Raab, program manager, GS Engineering. “Pairing it with Neya’s autonomy gives the military a system that can take on many different tasks at scale, keeping our engineers safe and effective in contested environments.”
Together, Neya Systems and GS Engineering are committed to maturing and fielding this capability in partnership with the warfighter, delivering a scalable, standards-based solution that supports autonomous and remote construction operations wherever the mission demands. The team invites program stakeholders, partners, and members of the defense community to learn more in person at the upcoming Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium (GVSETS) and at the Engineer Equipment Industry Day hosted by Product Manager Engineer, Maintenance, and Support Equipment (PdM EMSE).
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About Neya Systems
Neya Systems, a division of Applied Research Associates, is committed to advancing the field of unmanned systems through the development and integration of cutting-edge technologies and expertise in autonomy, computer vision, cybersecurity, and general unmanned systems development and deployment. To learn more about Neya Systems, visit neyarobotics.com
About GS Engineering
GS Engineering is an employee-owned and HUBZone-certified small business located in Houghton, MI. GS Engineering specializes in ground vehicle engineering, systems integration, platform development, rapid prototyping, and robotics integration for defense and government customers. Its work spans hardware, mobility systems, payloads, sensors, and mission systems, including REAPr, an autonomous-capable engineering platform developed to increase Soldier survivability. GS Engineering matures and transitions technology onto fielded and future military platforms with a commitment to engineering discipline and mission outcomes. Learn more at https://www.gsengineering.com.
Media Contacts:
Neya Systems — Jennifer Brozak | jbrozak@ara.com | 724-799-8078
GS Engineering — Traci Webb | traci.webb@gsengineering.com | 906-281-2729
