Nation’s First Autonomous Ground Robot Production Facility for Military and Police Training Opens

HUNTSVILLE, AL – Marathon Robotics inaugurated the nation’s first autonomous ground robot production facility for military and police training in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park. 

A ribbon cutting for the new North American Headquarters and production space took place on Monday, April 10, 2023, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The facility is located at 4950 Gilmer Drive, NW, Suite B, Huntsville,  AL 35805.

Company President Ralph Petroff noted, “These robots solve a fundamental problem  for militaries and law enforcement – – the ONLY time they practice shooting bullets at  realistic moving targets is in a real firefight.”  

Congressman Dale Strong (AL-05), Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Lynn Troy, Board Chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, attended and made remarks, followed by a facility tour and live-fire simulation.  

Congressman Strong remarked, “Alabama is the best place in the nation for  businesses supporting America’s aerospace, aviation and defense communities. I’ve  had the opportunity to practice shooting these robots. As a member of the House  Armed Services Committee (HASC), it’s my honor to play a role in ensuring our  Warfighters have what they need to be successful.” 

Strong continued, “Marathon is helping our men and women in uniform to be more  effective and prepared. Before Marathon, we asked the men and women of our  armed forces to go to foreign lands and fight after having only shot at a piece of paper or simple pop-up targets. Our government needs to take advantage of cutting  edge technology like Marathon’s autonomous robots to protect our nation. This new  facility highlights Marathon’s commitment to ensuring the safety of America and to  investing in our community.” 

Mayor Battle said, “I want to thank Marathon for their investment in our city. This  technology was a perfect candidate for the Alabama Robotic Technology Park, and  now we’re proud they’ve chosen to expand in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park. Marathon is a great example of how industry supports Redstone Arsenal, our  economy and our armed forces.”  

The new facility will support manufacturing of the company’s Autonomous Robotic Training Systems, which consist of realistic mannequins mounted on armored, intelligent robots capable of safely operating on unimproved ranges in support of  military and law enforcement.

The robots move independently, flinching or lying down when shot, and can scream as they run for cover or charge toward the firing  line. The result is greatly increased readiness for armed forces and law  enforcement, reducing combat stress, improved accuracy and better outcomes in  shoot/no-shoot decisions.  

The systems are already widely used by the US Marine Corps and by select Army, Navy, SOCOM and federal law enforcement customers as well as partner nations on  4 continents.