Engineering Rugged Intelligence Into Autonomous Vehicle Platforms

Self-driving trucks represent some of the most advanced and demanding mobile systems outside of military applications. These platforms integrate a complex array of electronic, electro-optic and computer systems — including central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) — working in coordination to process data, make decisions, and control motion in real time.

For these systems to be viable, especially at highway speeds or in off-road environments, reliability isn’t optional — it’s fundamental. These platforms must process sensor data and execute commands faster than the human brain, with absolute consistency. That’s why safety-critical autonomous systems in commercial and industrial vehicles are increasingly built on ruggedized, military-grade computing hardware. The technology has already proven capable of meeting extreme environmental and operational conditions.

Borrowing From Military Design Crystal Group rugged compute systems integrated into an airborne platform, supporting mission-critical data processing and real-time decision-making at the edge.Crystal Group

Autonomous vehicle (AV) design is still maturing, with few established commercial safety standards directly applicable to autonomous applications. As a result, many developers turn to military standards and design practices as a framework. The parallels are strong: Both require high uptime, resistance to shock and vibration, and the ability to function in harsh environments. Military engineers have decades of experience building systems that survive high impacts, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and wide thermal swings. This experience checks all the boxes and is now being applied to commercial AV systems.

The AV design stakes are high. In both defense and logistics, downtime costs money — or worse. Integrating proven military ruggedization strategies into commercial applications shortens the learning curve and improves outcomes.

Safety should not be an afterthought. Effective safety measures must be integrated into designs from the beginning, not implemented as a post-design afterthought. When problems occur, the technology must fail in a safe manner, similar to the flight control redundancy designed into modern-day aircraft.

Real-Time Data at Data-Center Scale

Today’s autonomous trucks generate and analyze terabytes of data per day. The onboard embedded computer is the brain of the system, using inputs to create a coherent model of the environment. Every data stream must be captured, processed, and analyzed with near-zero latency, whether it’s from a camera, lidar, radar or other sensors.

This process is similar to video-game technology. Video games transform data to simulate a three-dimensional world from code. AV systems reverse that process, converting the real world into machine-readable data.

Every pixel in a 4K camera feed may contain critical information. This may be a pedestrian, a traffic sign or debris in the road. Systems must scan, interpret and act on that data thousands of times per second. This level of real-time analysis demands server-class computing capabilities onboard a vehicle that operates in variable, often punishing conditions. The speed at which the computer can process data becomes more relevant the faster the vehicle is travelling. At slower speeds, there is more time to react. Faster vehicle speeds require a shorter reaction time.

The different approaches to autonomous vehicles depend on where they will be deployed, their defined role, and how fast they will be traveling. Companies focusing on high-speed or high-risk environments need to process such large volumes of data that they need data-center-class hardware on a vehicle or a construction site. High-end Intel, AMD and ARM processors are needed to calculate that amount of data.

Thermal Engineering Is Critical

Data-center-caliber processing produces a significant amount of heat. High-performance AV systems can generate as much thermal energy as in-room space heaters. Unlike data center installations, airflow, ambient temperatures and power draw are constrained. One of the biggest challenges with AV systems is moving heat away from the technology and into the ambient environment.

Some manufacturers of rugged high-performance edge compute solutions have developed unique solutions using existing industrial, military and automotive-grade cooling components. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the approach is to apply proven technologies in novel ways to solve mobility-specific thermal challenges.

Shock, Vibration and Mechanical Stress The rugged RE3423M Crystal Group system operates in harsh environments where traditional electronics fail.Crystal Group

Unlike stationary data-center systems, AVs operate in motion, often over rough terrain. That subjects onboard systems to persistent shock and vibration, conditions that consumer-grade electronics aren’t designed to endure. A military design background is key: Ruggedization practices like board-level stiffening, vibration damping and custom enclosures dramatically increase system resilience and uptime.

Different vehicle types demand different levels of ruggedization. For example, an on-highway truck may require less vibration resistance than a mining excavator, but more high-end thermal protection than an underwater drone. Engineering teams must work with OEMs to understand real-world operating profiles and tailor ruggedization accordingly, right-sizing protection without overdesigning and adding unnecessary cost.

Balancing Cost, Reliability and Longevity

AV deployment is ultimately a business decision. Downtime is costly, and consumer-grade components often don’t meet the reliability requirements for industrial use. However, overengineering increases cost. Using ruggedized commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components can help strike a balance where feasible. Custom components can then be used only where necessary.

Many components within some AV platforms are ruggedized COTS; the remainder are custom-built for the application. The key to optimizing performance and cost is knowing what to ruggedize and what to leave alone.

Validating for the Real World Crystal Group engineers collaborate on custom hardware configurations, optimizing performance and reliability from the inside out.Crystal Group

In-house compliance testing is essential. Some manufacturers of rugged high-performance solutions perform design validation in its dedicated test lab, simulating years of life cycle wear through accelerated testing. The simulation tasks can widely vary. In one instance, for example, one test lab was tasked with an OEM’s request that required the simulation of 14,000 potholes.

AV development is no longer hypothetical. Commercial trucks with autonomous capabilities are already operating on fixed routes, robotaxis are repeatedly popping up in new cities, and both aerospace and marine solution providers are embracing the autonomous approach. While some OEMs are still in R&D, others are scaling production. Some manufacturers of rugged solutions works closely with OEM R&D teams to refine prototypes, then transition to volume production once designs are validated.

The Road Ahead

The autonomous market is fragmented, with each OEM pursuing different strategies to get to the same goal. While applications and deployment strategies vary, the demand for rugged, scalable, and reliable computing platforms is universal.

Infrastructure gaps and legislative variations may slow adoption in some areas. But use cases on private property, such as fracking, mining, construction or private property transportation are picking up speed. For high-value, low-volume vehicles, adding automation technology that is 10% of the total cost can make economic sense. Software development integrators who manage sensor data are developing modular solutions that will address the cost constraints of lower-value vehicles.

Speed to market remains a top priority, especially for publicly traded companies. Engineering teams that understand how to design for both durability and manufacturability, without overcomplicating the solution, will lead the next wave of autonomy.