Unmanned Ground Vehicles

[buglerbilly]

Army Leverages Private Industry, Academia to Advance Robotics Research

(Source: U.S Army; issued April 21, 2010)

ADELPHI, Md. --- Developing smart robots with the ability to work for and alongside Soldiers is the ultimate goal of the Army's $63.2 million investment in a new robotics cooperative agreement with industry and academia over the next five years.

The Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance is expected to push the research needed to make autonomous robots accomplish more missions and take some of the burden off Soldiers on the battlefield, said Army Research Laboratory's Dr. Jon Bornstein, chief of the Robotics Autonomous Systems Division and CTA manager.

It will also have a potential five-year extension with an additional $66.5 million investment, totaling a possible $129.7 million.

"I would like to see the CTA research demonstrate an unmanned system that can adapt to a dynamic environment and learn from its experiences," said Bornstein. "I'm really looking forward to this research moving unmanned systems as a tool for the Soldier."

Bornstein said he compares his vision of the future use of robots in the Army with the way warfighters work with dogs in K-9 units.

"They're part of the team, and we want these unmanned systems to be part of team. There must be an intuitive bond between the Soldier and robot - a trust ... and a certain level of compatibility to develop that capability," he said.

Through the agreement, ARL will be working with a consortium of leading research organizations to break through basic scientific barriers in perception, intelligence, human-robot interaction, dexterous manipulation and unique mobility.

"Developing technology in these critical areas is crucial to the advancement of future unmanned systems possessing a significant level of autonomy," said Bornstein. "Robots can't be dumb. They must be able to work on their own."

While the Army drives the research direction, it chose a consortium of eight organizations, led by General Dynamics Robotic Systems, to perform under the cooperative agreement.

Boston Dynamics, Carnegie-Mellon University, California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Florida A&M University, QinetiQ North America, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania will all work as partners to delve into the cutting-edge research.

ARL uses cooperative agreements to bring together consortiums that develop and execute research plans that share financial, intellectual, personnel and infrastructure resources from both the government and private sector, and the new agreement is the third robotics-centered CTA the laboratory has leveraged.

Bornstein managed a previous eight and a half years of CTA robotics research. The original CTA focused on command and control of robotics while the newly announced agreement is reaching into intelligence, learning and robotic-human interaction.

"We accomplished a significant amount of research in our previous CTA," said Bornstein. "We see (that research) filtering into the Army's autonomous systems now."

The Micro Autonomous System Technologies CTA was the second ARL alliance, which focuses on small, hand-held robotics research.

The broader robotics-research picture falls under the auspices of the laboratory's enterprise that focuses on four key areas; perception, intelligence, human-robot interaction and manipulation and mobility.

"This robotics CTA will be a key part of ARL's Autonomous Systems Enterprise that combines ARL's internal research efforts with external research," Bornstein said.

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[buglerbilly]

Israeli Microbot Fires Pencil-Sized Rockets to Stop Bombs

By Noah Shachtman May 17, 2010 | 5:31 pm



This teeny little robot is the size of a toy truck — just 50 square inches. It’d be cute, almost, if it wasn’t armed with “dozens” of eight-inch rockets.

The world’s militaries have been gun-shy about letting armed robots roam around the battlefield; they’re always a danger the machines will malfunction and ruin some pesky human’s day. But Rafael, Israel’s state-owned arms-maker, is betting that its miniature Pincher robot might be allowed into warzones as a tool for neutralizing roadside bombs.

According to Defense News’ Barbara Opall-Rome each of the Pincher’s micro-munitions is ” a self-contained micro rocket with safety ignition, motor, warhead and safety fuse.” The “pyrophoric warhead combusts once ignited to burn upon target penetration,” which supposedly “eliminat[es] collateral damage often caused by traditional explosive systems.”

“Instead of detona*tion, where the speed of the shockwave is ul*trasonic, we developed a special material that causes deflagration, where the speed of the shockwave is subsonic and does not cause sig*nificant damage,” Rafael’s Ram Fabian tells Opall-Rome.

The Pincher has a range of 100 feet, maybe. An onboard camera looks for bombs, and helps remote operators aim the pencil-missiles.

It’s not Israel’s first attempt at a tiny killer robot. In 2007, the Elbit corporation unveiled its 18-inch VIPeR (”Versatile, Intelligent, Portable Robot”), equipped with a “9 mm mini-Uzi.” The machine never made much of a splash.

But rafael has high hopes for the Pincher. The Israel-focused military site Defense Update even suggests the ‘bot could be “used indoors to seek targets, locate and deactivate IEDs.” Just make sure some kid doesn’t pick it up and put it in his toybox afterward.

[Photo: Rafael via Defense Update]

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/05/israeli-microbot-fires-pencil-sized-rockets-to-stop-bombs/#more-24931#ixzz0oEpf5A67

[buglerbilly]

From Verena Schmitt-Roschmann, May 19, 2010 - 08:12 AM

Military experts see robots as key to saving soldiers' lives

By Verena Schmitt-Roschmann

HAMMELBURG, Germany (AP) - On the outside, it looks like a normal SUV. But the prototype "autonomous robot car" — fitted with sensors and scanners, multifocal camera systems and powerful computers — might one day help avoid military fatalities from bombings and ambushes — or so its designers hope.

Researchers presented the so-called MuCar-3 at the European Land Robot Trial this week in Germany, where the world's innovators were pitching ideas to military evaluators from the United States, Europe and Japan.

The MuCar-3 can independently follow a lead car, as in a military convoy, and even stop or back up when the lead car does so. It is a step toward providing military commanders with a robotic system that will keep troops out of harm's way whenever possible.

But there are still a few problems to solve, according to the evaluators at the Robot Trial conference, being held near the central German city of Hammelburg.

"We have seen progress, but not as much as we have wished for," said Dirk Ellinger, director of armaments at the German Defense Ministry.

Around the world, armies already use about 10,000 different remote-controlled robot systems for surveillance, reconnaissance or bomb disposal — as seen in the Oscar-winning film "The Hurt Locker." Experts are still waiting for a breakthrough on ground robots to fulfill simple tasks without human guidance.

"For now, there are no solutions for autonomous or semiautonomous systems ready to go into serial production," Ellinger said.

Military commanders are not exactly waiting for something out of the movies — today's priorities don't require sending anything like a Star Wars-like R2 unit or Terminator robot into action, German Army Chief Werner Freers said.

"We are looking for pragmatic solutions that would make life easier for our soldiers in military missions," he said.

Freers said he'd like something that will help soldiers avoid danger, but also wants to spare troops routine tasks so they can concentrate on more important things — "not least of which would be fighting."

Convoy solutions — like the MuCar-3, developed by the military's academy, the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich — could free soldiers from having to move supplies, a stressful and dangerous job in countries like Iraq or Afghanistan.

"This is something we are able to do," said Henrik Christensen, director at Georgia Tech Center for Robotics.

http://www.elrob.org/fileadmin/catalogue/9.pdf

[Ecky]

I did not realize the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) from FCS platforms had progressed this far.

Source: Defense-update (http://www.defense-update.com/products/a/ans_17052010.html)


Autonomous Vehicle Navigation Systems (ANS) Matured
Following over 2,000 lab and field tests the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) under development at General Dynamics Robotic Systems for the U.S. Army has passed the Critical Design Review milestone in March 2010 and is moving to prototype fabrication phase, toward integration and initial testing on a prototype Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV) in 2011. The Army's future robotic platforms and the seven Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV), as part of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, the $237 ANS program has sofar survived the termination of the FCS and is fully funded through 2013.

Originally destined for integration into the Army's future robotic platforms and the seven Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV), as part of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, the $237 ANS program has sofar survived the termination of the FCS and is fully funded through 2013. This capability could introduce 'transformational' capabilities with future combat vehicles, empowering conventional vehicles or future, robotic platforms with unmanned, and autonomous operating modes. The ANS CDR is among the first in a series of critical Increment 2 reviews underway for the Army's Brigade Combat Team (BCT) Modernization program.

The ANS system integrates a suite of sensors processors and actuators enabling automotive platforms to conduct autonomous navigation, perform area perception, path-planning and vehicle-following functions operating as unmanned ground vehicles, or optionally manned vehicles, allowing vehicles to move on the battlefield with minimal human oversight. Among the tasks the system already performed in tests are 'move-on-route', 'obstacle detection and avoidance' and 'leader/follower' capabilities in both day and night conditions.

Mr. Larry Hennebeck, Assistant Product Manager ANS explained the suite's sensors comprise three types – video, Laser Radar (LADAR) and milimeter-wave sensors. The video cameras provide the eyes of the systems, with multiple cameras covering a wide field with three-dimensional stereo-vision, viewing fore and aft. LADARs are also pointed fore and aft, creating a 3D image of the secene while the milimeter-wave sensors indicating distance and closing speed to obstacles. Sensor feeds are processed through a 'super computer on a board'. Five such boards are crunching the data at a 'terraflop' rate, fusing all 'senses' into a situational picture providing the system a perception of the scene, enabling the machine to plot the optimal route along the preplanned waypoints, where the least obstacles are encountered, while conforming to the directions and commands set by the user, guiding the vehicle's next action and proceeds.

The system has already been tested on vehicles including Strykers, the MULE Engeneering Evaluation Units, and Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTV). Once matured, ANS system are expected to cost around $300,000 and be integrated into many combat and combat support vehicles, enabling driverless operations of manned or unmanned vehicles.


Source: Defense-update (http://www.defense-update.com/products/a/arv_17052010.html)


The Army's First Combat Robot - Operational by 2015
Light combat brigades could be fielded by 2015 as part of the U.S. Army Brigade Modernization Plan. The Armed Robotic Vehicle-Assault (Light) (ARV-A-L) currently in development, could be ready for operation by 2014 and is currently planned for delivery to the first brigades by the years 2014-2015.

According to Lt. Colonel Jay Ferriera, Product Manager Unmanned Ground Vehicles, a key system for the ARV-A-L is the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) being developed by General Dynamics Robotics Systems. ANS is scheduled to be ready for Integrated Qualification Testing on these robotic vehicles in 2012, anticipating initial operational capability with an airborne, air-assualt or light brigade by 2014.
Featuring an integrated weapons and reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) package the ARV-A-L (designated XM1219) will support the dismounted infantry’s efforts to locate and destroy enemy platforms and positions. This robotic platform will support both anti-tank and anti-personnel weapons systems that to be remotely operated by network linked soldiers.

The 2.5 ton ARV-A-L will be sling-loadable under military rotorcraft. Its chassis is designed as the Common Mobility Platform (CMP) – a common chassis shared by different robotic vehicles developed under Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) program which has not survived the wave of cancellations that followed the termination of FCS.

Three larger unmanned combat vehicles were part of the FCS concept from its inception, but these combat capable robots were eliminated from the program in early 2007, in an attempt to save over $3 billion getting the program back on track. Setting the ARV aside for a while may have saved this vehicle, as it was developed 'in the background', and could be brought forward after the entire program collapsed. ARV-A-L is currently part of Capability Package 14-15, which will begin fielding in 2015. The CMP will provides superior mobility built around advanced propulsion and articulated suspension system rendering unique combat advantages, like extreme offroad mobility, and negotiation of complex terrain, cross obstacles and gaps that a dismounted BCT squad will encounter.

The CMP uses a 6x6 independent articulated suspension, coupled with in-hub motors powering each wheel. This design has proved to offer supperior performance, far exceeding that of vehicles utilizing more conventional suspension systems. The vehicle will be capable of climb at least a 1-meter step, far exceeding requirements, and provides the vehicle with the mobility performance and surefootedness required to safely follow dismounted troops over rough terrain, through rock and debris fields and over urban rubble. This technology also allows the ARV-A-L to cross 1-meter gaps, traverse side slopes greater than 40 percent, ford water to depths over 0.5 meters and overpass obstacles as high as 0.5 meters, while compensating for varying payload weights and center of gravity locations.

Optionally driven vehicles will also become reality by the second half of this decade. Future infantry vehicles like the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) will eventually be operated by the squad it transports, without committing additional crewmen - driver, commander and gunner. The vehicle's systems could be operated from inside the vehicle or by a dismounted team members via remote controls. However, this vision is not het hammered into the current GCV plan or schedule awaiting further maturation of the ANS or comparable technologies.

And an old picture - the new vehicle has TWEELS not wheels and a M240 Machine Gun & two Javelin missiles (Reference (www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2011/Army/0604663A.pdf))

[McDethWivFries]

Tweels? . . .

[Ecky]

Tweels? . . .

Found it...


On Bobcat


Basic background information on Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tweel)

Ecky

[McDethWivFries]

Ah cheers for that. Remember seeing Mercedes playing around with that at one stage too.

[buglerbilly]

Tweels and vehicle in action............



© Copyright 2010 - Defense Update, Lance & Shield Ltd.

[buglerbilly]

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates New Ambush-Thwarting Push-Vehicle Capability for Automated Convoy Program

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued May 24, 2010)

DALLAS --- Lockheed Martin has developed a new push-vehicle capability for its automated convoy program that will save lives in the fight against convoy ambush and IED attacks. The Convoy Active Safety Technology system, which enables convoy vehicles to autonomously follow each other, demonstrated the push-vehicle feature recently. It allows the first vehicle to be driven autonomously, as compared to past system designs where the lead had to be under human control.

"CAST's push-vehicle capability directly responds to real life dangers that our troops are facing. It will prevent injury and loss of life in the forward vehicle, which most frequently bears the brunt of deadly ambushes and IED attacks," said Glenn Miller, vice president of Technical Operations and Applied Research at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "CAST already improves the safety, security, survivability and sustainment of tactical wheeled vehicles. Our proven push-vehicle feature takes that to another level."

The autonomous push-vehicle was developed to lead a convoy of semi-autonomous follower vehicles into hazardous areas without a human operator on board. Using the AutoMate™ sensor, actuator and processing kit, any tactical wheeled vehicle can quickly and easily convert into the push-vehicle or perform as part of the convoy. Even in this role, the vehicle can maintain safe trajectories and interval distances on both developed and undeveloped roadways, avoid dynamic obstacles and operate at full speed in visually obstructed conditions such as dust or blackout night operations.

Lockheed Martin tested CAST's new capability this month in internal tests and is ready to demonstrate its life-saving features to Warfighters during user assessments. Notably, CAST demonstrated its precision system during the Army's Robotics Rodeo held last year at Fort Hood, TX.

CAST is a development program for the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. The affordable, simple, kit-based technology is not dependent on any platform and has logged more than 10,000 miles of operation. Tests have proved CAST-enabled trucks can follow roads and other vehicles to eliminate rear-end collisions, reduce road departures and enable soldiers to respond to 25 percent more hostile threats and from greater distances.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

-ends

[buglerbilly]

Video: Killer iRobot Wipes Out a Whole Field at Once

By Noah Shachtman June 1, 2010 | 5:01 pm



Over the spring, iRobot co-founder Colin Angle stopped by Wired’s New York offices to talk about the new machines he had planned for the Pentagon. They would not be lethally armed, he assured us, because “the military is not particularly interested in weaponized robots.” Despite years of development, the brass still had too many concerns about the safety of the technology — and about the perceptions of a killer ‘bot. iRobot might try to put less-lethal arms on some of its machines, he added. But deadly robots? No way.

Now, a few months later, iRobot has released this video, featuring one of its 710 Warrior machines triggering a very large (and potentially, very deadly) explosion. Its the APOBS (Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System), a rocket-fired system, designed to clear mine fields 45 square meters at a time. The rocket carries a set of grenades, which then detonate all together, taking with them the mines — and whatever else happens to be in the way. APOBS isn’t meant to kill people. But obviously, it could produce a deadly result.

iRobot has tested out other killer robots before. And this Warrior isn’t the first machine to try out the mine-clearing, explosion-making APOBS system. The Marine Corps’ lethal Gladiator ‘bot was designed to use the APOBS — and many, many more weapons. But the Gladiator never made it to the battlefield, due in part to safety and public perception fears.

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/video-killer-irobot-wipes-out-a-whole-field-at-once/#more-25537#ixzz0penjaY00

[buglerbilly]

U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin Contract to Pioneer Technology to Efficiently Manage Groups of Unmanned Vehicles

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued June 2, 2010)

CHERRY HILL, NJ --- The Office of Naval Research has awarded Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories a $2.5 million, 18-month contract to pioneer a technology that helps watchstanders manage groups of unmanned vehicles more efficiently.

The traditional, vehicle-centric approach assigns a single person to a single vehicle and restricts their access to information from across their team, which can create stovepipes and uneven workload. Lockheed Martin's unique software system -- called Supervision of Unmanned vehicles Mission Management by Interactive Teams or SUMMIT, for short -- introduces a mission-centric approach that allows watchstanders to fluidly share information and tasks, equally distribute workload, complete mission analysis faster, and improve situational awareness.

Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories developed and evaluated SUMMIT as part of an 18-month contract awarded in April 2008. SUMMIT was developed for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mine Countermeasures mission package, and has the potential to be expanded to other mission packages and platforms.

Naval personnel from the LCS Mine Warfare detachment evaluating SUMMIT were extremely impressed with the mission-centric approach of the system including the ability to hand off tasks to teammates and the integration of all mission tasks into a coherent interface accessible by all team members. Their evaluation showed advances over the traditional vehicle-centric approach which assigns a single operator to a single vehicle for the duration of a mission. Improvements included completing post mission analysis in half the time and a 22 percent improvement in operator situational awareness.

One warfighter said, "SUMMIT basically takes everything and makes it a one stop shop for what we need."

"We have brought SUMMIT from concept to reality," said Jerry Franke, Lockheed Martin SUMMIT program manager. "In this next phase of the program we'll continue to mature, demonstrate, and prepare the system for transition to the fleet."

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Army Testing Rugged, Autonomous Robot Vehicle

(Source: U.S Army; dated June 2, web-posted June 3, 2010)


The Autonomous Platform Demonstrator being tested at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. (US Army photo)

The U.S. Army's Autonomous Platform Demonstrator, or APD, is a 9.6 ton, six-wheeled, hybrid-electric robotic vehicle currently undergoing developmental and mobility testing at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md.; the demonstrator vehicle represents the state of the art in unmanned ground vehicle mobility technology.

With its advanced hybrid-electric drive train, the 15-foot-long vehicle, being developed by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), can achieve speeds of over 50mph.

When equipped with its autonomous navigation system, the APD is configured with GPS waypoint technology, an inertial measurement unit and computer algorithms which enable it to move autonomously at speeds up to 50mph while avoiding obstacles in its path.

"The vehicle has obstacle detection and avoidance technology," said Dr. Jim Overholt, senior research scientist in robotics, Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC).

The mobility testing is aimed at advancing and developing the robot's ability to maneuver at higher speeds while maintaining extreme terrain-ability at lower speeds.

"We've run it through courses, slope testing and brake testing," said Chris Ostrowski, associate director for Vehicle Electronics and Architectures at TARDEC.

The APD is currently testing high speed maneuverability, such as lane changing. "This is a challenging controls problem with a skid steer vehicle. We want the robot to be stable when performing maneuvers like this, but we also want it to retain the other mobility characteristics that it possesses at lower speeds," said. Ostrowski.

Other mobility characteristics include the ability to climb a one-meter step, navigate a 60-percent slope, and pivot turn in place.

Being a series hybrid-electric vehicle, the APD is propelled by six in-hub electric motors and has a diesel generator which charges its lithium ion batteries.

"The state of the art hybrid-electric drive train is just one of the mobility technologies we are demonstrating with this platform," said Andrew Kerbrat, APD project manager, TARDEC.

Other technologies being demonstrated include advanced suspension systems, thermal and power management systems, robotic safety systems, and lightweight hull technologies.

"We've made a lot of progress with this platform in a short time period. From concept to wheels on the ground was just a shade over two years, and in the eight months since then, we've driven almost 3000 kilometers and have demonstrated 95 percent of the metrics that we were trying to show with this platform," said Kerbrat.

APD is the mobility platform being used by the Robotic Vehicle Control Architecture (RVCA) Army Technology Objective, also out of TARDEC. Working with PEO-Integration, RVCA has integrated a suite of system control, display and sensing hardware and software onto APD that allow it to be controlled real-time by a soldier, or operate in an autonomous mode.

"It uses a variety of sensors and a Ladar--a laser/radar scanning radar that can detect moving objects at distances," said Overholt. Additionally, RVCA provides Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition capabilities.

"It has a four-meter mast with a sensor ball on top so it goes up pretty high and can see out quite a ways," said Chris Ostrowski.

"When you combine the autonomy and control capabilities provided by RVCA with the extreme mobility characteristics of APD it allows the soldier operator to quickly deploy a mission payload precisely where he wants it, and over some very tough terrain," says Kerbrat.

"The bottom line is that we are providing the soldier with a significant capability that will assist him in the performance of his mission while keeping him safer in the process."

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[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

G-NIUS' Avantguard Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle Delivered to IDF

Posted by Noam Eshel at 6/8/2010 1:16 AM CDT



G-NIUS Unmanned Ground Systems Ltd., a jointly-owned company of Elbit Systems Ltd. and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., will display their AvantGuard Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle at Eurosatory 2010 next week. The vehicle currently being evaluated by the IDF is based on the Tactical Amphibious Ground System (TAGS) built by Dumur Industries from Canada.



Building on the autonomous capabilities developed by G-NIUS for the Guardium UGV system, as well as the TAGS inherent maneuverability in harsh terrain, AvantGuard UGCV expands the applications envelope of unmanned vehicles to encompass Counter IED (CIED) and ground maneuvering combat missions.

The autonomous vehicle configuration utilizes advanced robotics and sensor technologies, allowing it to "think", avoiding obstacles and communicating with the operator or other vehicles. The AvantGuard is controlled by a mobile or portable Operational Control Unit (OCU), and can also operate with dismounted or mounted combat teams, in a 'Follow-Me' mode, where it is autonomously trailing a foot soldier guide.

The vehicle uses a sensor package which can identify and avoid obstacles, along a pre-planned route. The navigation system uses Differential GPS (DGPS) with three control levels. Other sensors include front and rear cameras, mounted on a 360 deg. omni-directional pedestal.



Based on the mission profile, AvantGuard can carry various payloads - including electro-optical, communications relay, jamming and weapon stations. The AvantGuard can be deployed in a variety of combat missions including: Counter IED, Advance Guard, Armed Sentry, Combat Logistic Support, CASEVAC and more.

G-Nius is also working on another vehicle called Nachshon, designed to be the future multi-mission land robotic platform for the IDF. The Ground Forces command has also launched an optionally manned infantry load carrier, designed to haul about a one ton payload off road and in harsh terrain.

Photos Credit: G-NIUS

[buglerbilly]

FCS Son Tests Look Good

By Colin Clark Friday, June 11th, 2010 12:09 pm



White Sands Missile Range – Early test results for son of FCS — not yet validated by Army testers — look good, with significant reliability and performance improvements to the group of technologies known as increment 1.

That was the word from several Army officials here, including Col. John Wendel, program manager for what the Army insists on calling Brigade Combat Team Modernization. (The Army and Boeing may hate it but son of FCS is the most accurate name for the agglomeration of stuff they now put under the rubric Brigade Combat Team Modernization.) A second Limited User Test is coming up next month and our trip was designed to give readers a glimpse at what is at stake and how things have changed since last year.

Here’s a summary:

A key component of the entire modernization effort, the Ground Mobile Radio (GMR), is performing at far longer ranges (up to 22 miles); with much improved reliability and it is doing so in combat mode. That means it is operating in anti-jamming mode. As Wendel told three visiting reporters, he was cradling GMRs in an air conditioned rental car last year to cool them down so they would work, and they took a very long time to start up — up to 90 minutes. Over the last few weeks, GMRs have been baked and frozen in environmental testing and they have performed reliably. The GMR is the central part of the Network Integration Kit (NIK) installed on three models of MRAPs for the modernization effort. These MRAPs have been left in the baking White Sands sun and have performed reliably. Now the GMR takes about 30 minutes to turn on all the wave forms, though a SINGCARS wave form can be started up in just over one minute, according to Marine Capt. James Thomas, who works on the system for the joint program office.

In terms of range, the improvement is marked. Last year, the GMR SRW wave form struggled to handle 800 meters. Now it’s functioning at up to 12 kilometers. The Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) is now handling more than 30 kilometers. Bottom line, according to Wendel: they are “performing well beyond requirements in terms of range.” One of the most visible and impressive improvements to the network is its ability to send reasonably crisp images at a decent speed that pop on the Army’s FBCB2 screen. Vehicles features were clearly discernible.

The little ground robot, the SUGV, only managed to eke out seven hours mean time between failures last year. Under controlled testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, two SUGVs have demonstrated more than 42 hours between failures, Wendel said.

The flying beer keg, also known as the Class 1 UAV, is no longer suffering regular hard landings and system aborts, Wendel said: “Last year, every time we flew we would cross our toes and fingers.” On Wednesday night, it flew for a total of eight hours.

The unattended ground sensor is sending data with far greater reliability, thanks to a more rugged antenna, improved battery contacts and a solar shield that helps prevent overheating.

The House Armed Services Committee came down hard on son of FCS, whacking most of the money from the Army budget. Although Rep. Silvestre Reyes, senior member of the HASC, restored $111.6 million of a massive cut of $891 million from the Army’s 2011 budget request for modernization. The Army had requested $1.6 billion for research and development and $682.7 million to buy gear. While we hear that appropriators are unlikely to go as far as their authorizing cousins, there is clearly fairly broad skepticism in the House. Perhaps it is time for congressional staff to grab a fresh look at the brigade technologies, suggested one Capitol Hill watcher. “Members and staffers really need to see these capabilities in person at White Sands to fully appreciate the progress that’s been made since last year,” this source said.

[Full disclosure: Boeing paid for our plane ticket to visit White Sands.]

Read more: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2010/06/11/fcs-son-tests-look-good/#ixzz0qatfV1Z9

[buglerbilly]

07:21 GMT, June 18, 2010 DALLAS, TX | Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently proved in a series of demonstration tests that its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) vehicle can perform detailed logistics tasks without human control. The testing was conducted at the Lockheed Martin facility in Littleton, CO, for several military attendees.

The SMSS vehicle performed all autonomous operations flawlessly, including:

• mcorrectly following a road network,
• safely maneuvering through a building complex,
• avoiding obstacles inserted in its path, including mannequins simulating people,
• following a person using only optical tracking, exercising real-time obstacle avoidance, and
• navigating to a person who issued a “come-to-me” command.

SMSS also demonstrated its ease of operability in real-time controller-to-controller hand-offs, allowing different operators to take control of the vehicle as it arrived at new locations. Operators also disengaged autonomy and went on board the vehicle to control it manually, showcasing user options in commanding the system.

“These demonstrations exemplify how the military can benefit from SMSS as an autonomous logistics vehicle to move parts, tools and materiel around fixed installations,” said Don Nimblett, senior Business Development manager for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “SMSS has proved through performance that our approach to autonomy is flexible and adaptable to a variety of platforms and missions. We’ve already proved the advantages SMSS can bring in the field through U.S. Army-funded Warfighter experiments. These recent trials showed how SMSS can perform in crowded, limited environments transporting tons of cargo.”

Attendees who witnessed the demonstration included representatives from the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Solider Requirements Division, Combined Arms Support Command, Training and Doctrine Command Accelerated Capabilities Division, Rapid Equipping Force, Robotic Systems Joint Project Office, U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force’s 60th Maintenance Group.

The SMSS was initially developed as a Lockheed Martin initiative to lighten the load for light infantry Soldiers and Marines. A highly mobile 6x6 vehicle, SMSS can carry 1,200 pounds of gear for a 9- to 13-person squad, and it can accompany the squad on many missions through heavy terrain. The fully loaded SMSS can be sling-loaded under a UH-60L helicopter, or carried internally in a CH-47/53 helicopter. The robotic capabilities and autonomy utilized on SMSS are also applicable to a much broader range of robotic applications, missions and vehicles.

This is the half-scale model shown at Eurosatory 2010..............

[buglerbilly]

Army’s Self-Driving Trucks Let Humans Watch for Bombs

By Spencer Ackerman July 12, 2010 | 2:50 pm



As insurgents in Afghanistan target the U.S. military’s soft underbelly — its long logistics lines — trucking materiel through war zones has become an increasingly dangerous mission. One U.S. Army solution? Self-driving trucks that let the humans behind the wheel look out for bombs, instead.

Danger Room friend Paul McLeary reports for the new issue of Defense Technology International about an add-on vehicle-automation system called CAST (“Convoy Active Safety Technology“). Developed by Lockheed Martin for the Army on a $5.3 million contract, CAST is a system that you attach to your truck that enables it to drive itself, using radar and sensors (not, say, GPS) to navigate toward a programmed destination.

The system is designed to keep formation with its convoy partners, adjusting speed to maintain safe distances between vehicles, and to pick up the slack if a lead vehicle is disabled. Feel like driving again? Switch CAST to manual and take back the wheel.

According to McLeary, the Army’s tank researchers have put CAST through a ringer: 12,000 hours of unmanned road testing, typically at distances of 35 miles during the day and 15 miles at night. The researchers found that drivers-turned-passengers riding in CAST-controlled trucks were 25 percent more likely to spot roadside bombs, since “the driver was able to watch both sides of the road instead of driving the vehicle.” In other words, algorithms can now play “follow-the-leader” just fine. Looking out for explosives is the hard part — the new place where we carbon units are needed in the loop.

Lots of questions about CAST remain, however. It’s not clear how fast the things go. Previous generations of autonomous automobiles essentially posed a tradeoff between robo-piloting and doing well at basic car tasks like getting to a destination quickly.

But even if CAST works perfectly, it’s far from certain that the Army would share it with the truckers who could use it the most — commercial suppliers. After all, local trucking companies who supply U.S. bases in Afghanistan often get hit by insurgents and outraged locals in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

So before the Army can field a fleet of Knight Riders to ferry toilet paper and ammo to remote outposts — the dream of the military R&D whizkids in Darpa for decades — Lockheed still has to bring CAST downrange, so Army truckers can test it in active combat zones, hopefully before the end of 2011.

And Afghanistan still may not be its destination even if it works. McLeary reports that it’s not built for going off-road, and Afghanistan still suffers from a dearth of blacktop. That warzone might be a 10-33, so you better pull a brake check before you’ve got Alligators everywhere — or something.

Credit: DoD

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/armys-self-driving-trucks-let-the-humans-watch-for-bombs/#more-27422#ixzz0tW6FKbhy

[buglerbilly]

SKorea Deploys Sentry Robot on Border

July 13, 2010

Agence France-Presse

South Korea has deployed a sentry robot capable of detecting and killing intruders along the heavily fortified border with North Korea, officials said Tuesday.

"Our military has been testing such robots along the border," a defense ministry spokesman told AFP.

Two robots with surveillance, tracking, firing and voice recognition systems were integrated into a single unit, he said, declining to give details.

The robot unit costing 400 million won ($330,000) was installed last month at a guard post in the central section of the Demilitarized Zone that bisects the peninsula, Yonhap news agency said.

It quoted an unidentified military official as saying the ministry would deploy sentry robots along the world's last Cold War frontier if the test is successful.

The robot uses heat and motion detectors to sense possible threats, and alerts command centers, Yonhap said.

If the command center operator cannot identify possible intruders through the robot's audio or video communications system, the operator can order it to fire its gun or 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

South Korea is also developing highly sophisticated combat robots armed with weapons and sensors that could complement human soldiers on battlefields.

It has a largely conscripted military of 655,000 against Pyongyang's 1.2 million-strong force, but a falling birth rate means Seoul will struggle in the future to maintain troop numbers.

© Copyright 2010 Agence France-Presse. All rights reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Farnborough 2010: BAE Systems develops new autonomous mule

July 21, 2010



Interesting considering LM's efforts per posts above...........

BAE Systems is pitching an autonomous load-carrying vehicle to the UK Ministry of Defence through a self-funded programme called the Multi-Operated All-Terrain Vehicle (MOATV).

Speaking to Unmanned Vehicles at the Farnborough International Air Show, company representatives said the ‘proof of concept' programme aimed to prove the maturity of the MOATV technology, which can be applied to any vehicle, as well as examine how such a platform might be used by dismounted troops.

The MOATV is designed to ‘reduce the burden on the dismounted soldier' and can either be operated by a remote control or instructed to act semi-autonomously in a number of different modes. It can also be driven like a regular vehicle.

BAE Systems has been working on the programme for some months and has been doing trials with a Supacat 6x6 ATV in conjunction with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

Andy Wright, director of technology acquisition for BAE Systems Strategic Capability Solutions, said the trials were working through the safety issues of using an autonomous vehicle alongside dismounted troops and trial how a platoon might use such a system.

‘The safety issue is one of the key challenges in this area,' Wright said.

‘This is a concept vehicle to show how it could be used to support dismounted soldiers. It can be instructed to follow a platoon of soldiers, carrying the gear they need; it can be told to go from one position to another, perhaps in a fire fight to bring supplies; and it could even be used for casualty evacuation.'

The vehicle can be instructed to follow a solider carrying a PDA, can be instructed to come to the soldier at ‘a push of a button' and can be directed forward for reconnaissance.

The MOATV technology includes a collision detection and avoidance system that allows it to negotiate around objects while in autonomous mode.

Wright said the system had been developed in conjunction with BAE Systems Australia.

Among the concept of operations issues being worked through was how to pass control of the vehicle from one PDA to another and what would happen should the control PDA be lost mid-operation.

By Tony Skinner, Farnborough

[buglerbilly]

Boeing-iRobot Team Receives New SUGV Task Order from US Army

(Source: Boeing Co.; issued July 27, 2010)

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --- The Boeing Company and partner iRobot Corp. today announced that they have received a new task order to an existing contract to provide Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles (SUGV) to the U.S. Army. The order calls for 94 new model 310 SUGV robots, plus spares, for a total value of $14.6 million.

This order, the contract's fifth, brings the total units ordered by the U.S. government to 323. The existing Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract will run through February.

"Boeing and iRobot are pleased to be working with our customers to provide this life-saving technology in response to urgent warfighter needs," said Bob DaLee, Robotics program manager for Boeing Network & Tactical Systems. "The 35-pound 310 SUGV system provides the dismounted Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician with the ability to perform reconnaissance during extremely hazardous EOD missions involving unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices."

"Robots have played an important role on the battlefield for years now, and their numbers in theater are growing," said Joe Dyer, president of iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division. "Warfighters can carry and quickly deploy the SUGV at a moment's notice, which is crucial in challenging environments such as Afghanistan. These robots are saving lives every day."

Boeing and iRobot developed the SUGV family of vehicles under a strategic alliance that began in 2007. SUGV is a smaller and lighter version of the combat-proven PackBot. It is designed to give warfighters real-time awareness of critical situations and to allow them to complete missions from safe standoff distances. It is ideal for a variety of mission types, including EOD, route clearance and reconnaissance. As the prime contractor, Boeing provides program management, contracts, government-test support and quality-control support from offices in Huntsville. iRobot is responsible for engineering, government-test support, manufacturing, training and logistics services, with the majority of work conducted in Bedford, Mass.

"The SUGV can increase the safety of U.S. and allied warfighters in uncertain situations," said William Boggs, director of Boeing Global Forces & Robotics Systems. "We will continue working with our customer not only to provide these valuable assets, but also to continue to refine them so the SUGV we deliver tomorrow has even more capability than the one we deliver today."

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company's home robots help people with smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harm's way. iRobot's consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence.

Boeing is the largest aerospace company in Alabama and one of the state's largest employers. Current company operations in Huntsville include the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program and other missile defense work, such as the Arrow system and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 seeker, as well as work associated with Ares I, the International Space Station, Army Integrated Logistics, Brigade Combat Team Modernization, SBInet, and engineering for the 787 and the P-8A Poseidon.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

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[buglerbilly]

Europe's Focus on Unmanned Network Centric Solutions to Boost the Unmanned Ground Vehicles Market, Says Frost & Sullivan

(Source: Frost & Sullivan; issued August 4, 2010)

LONDON --- The European unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) market is growing slowly, but steadily, depicting a relatively undisturbed trend for the year 2011 and beyond. The United States has progressed in terms of the network enabled capability of their defence resources, spurring the Departments of Defence (DoDs) of various European countries to focus on unmanned network centric solutions.

Currently, soldier force modernisation is on the agenda of several European countries, to retain their technological edge over developing nations. The gap between U.S. and European defence technology is an additional instigating factor. UGV is becoming an integral part of network centric warfare.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Unmanned Ground Vehicles Market Assessment - Europe, finds that the market earned revenues of $302.5 million in 2009 and estimates this to reach $311.2 million by 2016.

"Network enabled capabilities are gradually gaining momentum within the Ministries of Defence (MODs)," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Shyam Srinivasan. "The ability of remotely patrolling a group of vehicles and strategising battlefield formations has evoked an interest to graduate to unmanned artillery in the future."

The European UGV industry has remained niche. The future lies in opening up opportunities for smaller participants to penetrate the market. Another potential is in the maintenance and repair of such specialised machinery in the period from now to 2016.

However, reduced defence budget allocation is one of the primary restraints to the UGV market. Furthermore, lean expenditure on new technology is to support the production of traditional weapons for the Afghan war.

"The unit cost of the equipment is also a restraint to procurement in numbers," explains Srinivasan. "For example, a small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV) with electro-optics/infrared (EO/IR) sensors would cost about $20,000 and the cost of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) machinery can go up to $300,000."

The industry should focus on the commercial and civil market to increase revenue. The lower unit cost can be attained by using less expensive materials and technologies. Progress towards expendable equipment will result in manufacturing affordable equipment.

"Civil security and border patrol to tackle improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are some of the potential areas to focus on for greater revenue in the long-term," concludes Srinivasan.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles Market Assessment - Europe is part of the Defence Growth Partnership Services programme, which also includes research in the following markets: European Land-Based C2 Markets, European Land Based ISTAR Vehicle Electronics Market, and Network Centric Warfare: A European Market Executive Analysis. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents.

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[buglerbilly]

Navy Engineers, Marine Warfighters Test Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles

(Source: U.S Navy; issued August 6, 2010)



DAHLGREN, Va. --- Navy civilian engineers teamed with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) to test the capabilities of unmanned autonomous vehicles under development to support a variety of Marine Corps missions during the 2010 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise held from June 23 to Aug. 1.

Engineers from Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division, a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command, evaluated the impact of multiple ground unmanned support surrogate (GUSS) vehicles – designed and built by Virginia Tech students – which support Marine Corps resupply, "follow me," casualty evacuation and reconnaissance missions.

"Our immediate goal to showcase the GUSS technology through experimentation is a success," said Brent Azzarelli, NSWC Dahlgren Division GUSS project manager, after the MCWL Enhanced Company Operations limited objective experiment (LOE) 4. "GUSS is pushing the envelope on small tactical vehicle autonomy and obstacle avoidance, and we are optimistic that this technology will bring a capability to the warfighter in the very near future."

Azzarelli and his team – joining a company of Marines to work with four GUSS vehicles at RIMPAC until July 16 – demonstrated the robots' ability to provide logistics support to the dismounted Marine in the exercise that supported command and control of units ashore from a sea base up to 100 miles away.

"GUSS proved that it can find its own path based on the environment when navigating in 'follow me' mode," said Ron Colbow, NSWC Dahlgren's engineer. "GUSS is truly autonomous and does not require a Marine to navigate the vehicle with a joystick. The Marines on patrol can continue to carry their weapon and be fully functional without having an autonomous vehicle take away their tactical readiness."

Moreover, Marines can use a handheld device with an integrated laser range finder to send waypoints to the unmanned vehicles designed to re-supply troops and provide an immediate means for the evacuation of any casualties in combat. A single GUSS vehicle carries up to 1,800 pounds at about five miles per hour.

"GUSS lightens the load for Marines who often go on patrols with more than 100 lbs of gear on their backs," said Elizabeth Carlson, NSWC Dahlgren Division engineer, one of three Dahlgren engineers participating in the MCWL tests coinciding with RIMPAC. "These experiments help us determine the utility a small unmanned ground vehicle can have at the squad level and help the Marines Corps determine what missions are right for GUSS."

The LOE and two previous limited technical assessments provided the project's Quantico, Va.-based MCWL sponsor with an analysis of the current GUSS configuration and its ability to perform the missions. The feedback of warfighters operating GUSS contributed to the analysis and a government-managed estimate of the emerging technology's maturity level.

"The eight trained Marine operators all said that GUSS improved their tactical readiness and tactical operations for most mission areas," said Azzarelli.

Marines on patrol can continue to carry their weapons and be fully functional without having an autonomous vehicle take away their tactical readiness. GUSS also maintains the ability for manned operation.

Built on a Polaris MVRS 700 6x6 chassis, the GUSS vehicle is outfitted with commercial off-the-shelf components, including LIDAR technology, electro-optical cameras, an inertial navigation system and a drive-by-wire system to allow for autonomous operation.

The GUSS project is one of the mutually beneficial innovative research projects and activities developed as a result of an on-going agreement between NSWC Dahlgren and Virginia Tech's Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. Future plans include two more GUSS experiments in fiscal years 2011 and 2012. Dahlgren will continue to lead the project for MCWL and use Virginia Tech and TORC technologies as we moved forward to enhance the system based on lessons learned from LOE 4.

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[buglerbilly]

Elbit Systems launches two new robots, creating a VIPeR family

August 09, 2010



During Elbit Systems' latest exhibition displaying advanced land and C4I solutions, the Company launched two new members of the VIPeR family of intelligent and portable robots: Mini-VIPeR and Maxi-VIPeR, which join the combat-proven VIPeR robot, already operational in the Israel Defense Forces under the Hebrew name "Pazit."

Building on Elbit Systems' extensive experience and know-how in the unmanned systems field, and using a common control system, the robots feature intuitive operation and enable real-time reconnaissance, in addition to arena clearing, in-building mapping, decoy and screening functions.

The Mini-VIPeR robot is an extremely light-weight one-person portable system (weighing approximately 3.5 kg), equipped with advanced sensors that allow full operation in various adverse terrains, as well as allowing ground forces to survey structures before entering by literally throwing the robot through the window or into a dark tunnel.

The larger compact robot, Maxi-VIPeR, allows the disarming of explosives and handling radioactive materials using its robotic arm and the various advanced sensors.

Designed to reduce the danger to the dismounted force during different phases of combat, the VIPeR family of robots can take on many of the challenges faced by land warriors engaged in today's low intensity conflicts (LIC). Portable and highly mobile, the robots are configurable for multiple types of missions by add-on sensors, modules and payloads, tailored to specific tasks.

Source: Elbit Systems

[buglerbilly]

DARPA Unveils New Robotics Program

(Source: DARPA; issued August 19, 2010)

Early investments in mobile manipulators, or robots, have led to a family of ground platforms now used in military operations for many missions, including countering improvised explosive devices. Although these robots save lives and help reduce casualties, they have limitations. Most require significant human interaction, which increases the time required to complete tasks. Robot performance under human remote control is limited by video fields of view, perspective and communications bandwidth.

DARPA’s latest effort, the Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program, envisions robots with a high degree of autonomy requiring only high-level supervision by an operator. This simplifies human control and could drastically improve execution of tasks. If successful, these future robots could perform multiple military missions.

The goal of the four-year ARM program is to develop software and hardware that enables a robot to autonomously grasp and manipulate to perform complicated tasks with a human providing only high-level direction.

Three research teams are participating in the hardware track of this program: iRobot, Sandia National Laboratories and SRI International are developing designs for a new multi-finger hand with an emphasis on robust design and low cost. Six teams working in the software track will develop software that enables the robot to perform several tasks. Software researchers include Carnegie Mellon University, HRL Laboratories, iRobot, NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory, SRI International and University of Southern California.

In addition to hardware and software initiatives, DARPA plans an outreach track, which will make available an identical robot for public use. This will allow anyone the opportunity to write software, test it, upload it to the actual system then watch via the Internet as this DARPA robot executes that software. Teams involved in this outreach track will be able to collaborate with other teams around the world.

DARPA plans to showcase the robot developed for the ARM program at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Conference in Denver, August 24-27. Instructions will be available on how groups can become involved in the interactive portion of this DARPA program.

DARPA’s program manager, Dr. Robert Mandelbaum, will be available for questions August 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at AUVSI’s press briefing room. He will give a presentation on the ARM program at a time to be announced later at the “Beyond the Booth” showcase.

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[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

DARPA Asks: Why Can't a Robot Be More Like a Man?

Posted by John M. Doyle at 8/24/2010 5:36 PM CDT

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking for ideas on ways to develop highly autonomous robots that can perform dangerous and complicated tasks like manning a vehicle checkpoint to firing a mortar with limited human control.


(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witte)

The project, known as the Autonomous Robotics Manipulation (ARM) program, seeks software and hardware that will improve the ability of robots' hands to grasp and manipulate objects and perform complicated tasks.

“This is a very nascent field. It really hasn't reached its stride,” Robert Mandelbaum, the program's manager told a briefing at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Denver.

He envisions robots that will be able to act independently in a variety of tasks including underwater counter-mine operations, search and rescue, casualty care and bomb detection and disposal.

Robots can lift heavy objects and perform repetitive tasks in factories – even sing and dance – but there isn't a lot they can do with their hands, Mandelbaum says. They have limited flexibility, especially when it comes to handling irregularly shaped objects like a backpack or an MRE (meals ready to eat) sack. So DARPA is looking for software that can make robots more resilient and adaptive, and hardware that can make low cost robotic hands that are more flexible, he says. The hands on DARPA's testbed robot cost $75,000, Mandelbaum notes.

The idea is to reduce operator workload, bandwidth, hardware complexity and training time for robotic tasks, he adds.

DARPA has about $50 million in funding for the 48-month project. The Pentagon's think-outside-the-box research unit already has a $300,000 robot to be used as a common platform on which researchers can test their software.

In June, DARPA selected six teams to research improving robots' hand-coordination: the University of Southern California, HRL Laboratories, NASA-Joint Propulsion Lab, iRobot, Carnegie Mellon University and SRI International.

They're tasked with improving robots' grasping and manipulation abilities in three phases starting with simple tool operation and ranging to more complex ones like erecting a tent and loading a weapon.

DARPA is also seeking input from the public: academics, students or hobbyists. Details about the project – including a name the robot contest – can be seen at http://thearmrobot.com/

[buglerbilly]

DATE:24/08/10

SOURCE:Flight Daily News

AUVSI: Oshkosh adds autonomy to Army, Marine Corps trucks

By Brett Davis

Oshkosh Defense is showcasing a new autonomous unmanned truck, a US Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) Load Handling Systems variant equipped with the company's TerraMax self-driving technology.

The LHS model is a nine-ton, 6x6 all-wheel drive truck that's transportable via C-130 aircraft. The TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle technology is a kit that can be integrated on new vehicles as they are produced or retrofitted to existing fleet vehicles.

The aim is to get as many soldiers as possible out of the supply and logistics chain so they are less vulnerable to attacks from improvised explosive devices. Ultimately, full autonomy is the goal, but in the meantime the company is working to make military vehicles smarter. The LHS has forward-looking sensors, lidars and three radars with advanced algorithms to better handle obscurants such as dust.


© Oshkosh Defense

The company is also working with the US Marine Corps Warfighter Lab on a two-year cargo UGV demonstration, also aimed at getting humans out of the logistics chain. Oshkosh won a bid for the work and the project is now beginning, said Brent Azzarelli, the chief robotics engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. The Marines are already working on a smaller unmanned ground vehicle program for dismounted Marines, but the new effort focuses on larger convoys and uses a TerraMaxed version of the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR).

The two-year project, done in conjunction with the Robotics Technology Consortium, is aimed at demonstrating the technology that could lead to a set of requirements that in turn could lead to a formal program of record, although Azzarelli said "I can't speculate when we'll see this or not. We're just trying to experiment with a capability."

[buglerbilly]

DATE:25/08/10

SOURCE:Flight Daily News

AUVSI: Transformers: Robots in disguise

By By Rich Tuttle

Although the idea of using unmanned vehicles to remove wounded soldiers from the battlefield isn't likely to translate soon to an operational system, companies around the world are tapping into the market. And if the USA is lagging in coming to the battlefield extraction fold, a little funding could go a long way in an industry ripe to boom.

If the country is going to make a commitment to do this, it needs a comprehensively funded program to capitalize on a range of relatively low-level research and technology projects that have been under way for years in various government and industry labs, says Gary Gilbert, head of the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

DEVELOPING CAPABILITIES

"We need the country to say - the Department of Defense to say - 'Yes, we're going to do this in the future. We're going to build a program to develop these capabilities, to identify what the technical requirements and the operational requirements are to be able to do this,'" says Gilbert.

TATRC is in the forefront of unmanned casevac, or casualty evacuation, but, says Gilbert, "I've gone about as far as I can go with the kind of funding I have," which is mostly to develop prototypes and fund Small Business Innovation Research grants.


© DARPA

But, he says, it's a worthy endeavor. "Why expose soldiers or medics to risk if you can do some of this stuff with robots? Especially given the fact that we lose the soldier and the casualty sometimes - both guys get killed. So if we can reduce the exposure of two soldiers to maybe just one-and-a-half, or one soldier and a robot, we can save some lives. That's what we're trying to do."

PROMISING EFORTS

A challenge for potential designers of unmanned casevac systems, in addition to money, is the US military's position that no wounded soldier will be sent from one location to another without someone in attendance.

AAI (booth 1000), maker of unmanned aerial systems like the Shadow, is broadening its interest in the UAS field and would be able to meet this demand, according to Steven Reid, vice president of unmanned aircraft systems. AAI has signed a licensing agreement with a company called Carter Aviation, giving AAI exclusive rights to a Carter idea known as slowed rotor/compound technology. SR/C, according to AAI, is "a fixed- and rotary-wing hybrid that [delivers] high-speed, long endurance and vertical/short takeoff and landing capability at low cost." Any proposal for an unmanned casevac aircraft that AAI submitted would be based on a Carter passenger-carrying aircraft, Reid says. Airworthiness standards for an unmanned vehicle, he says, would thus be identical to those for a manned aircraft.

Military officials have nevertheless expressed concern about the consequences if unmanned vehicles crash. Advocates of unmanned casevac counter that it's almost always better to attempt a rescue.

In fact, some say the requirement that a wounded soldier must always be accompanied is outdated because of advances in technology. "This has nothing to do with science. It has to do with politics and the sociology of patient care," says Richard Satava, professor of surgery at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

Satava, who served as a combat surgeon and at DARPA, helped develop the Life Support for Trauma and Transport (LSTAT) system, basically an intensive care unit with full telemedicine capability that can be taken to the battlefield. The US military began using it in 2000, and it remains in service today.

LSTAT was taken a step further when it was used in a 2008 demonstration of an operating room with no people, not even a surgeon, according to Satava. Using a daVinci surgical robot, developed by DARPA in the 1990s, researchers showed that animals could be successfully operated on with no one in the operating room.

A follow-on effort was intended to show that this setup could be made small enough to fit into a pod that could be carried by unmanned aircraft. The idea, proposed to DARPA in 2005, was that the aircraft could be used to transport supplies to troops and take wounded soldiers out on the way back. Researchers determined relevant parameters so that future developers of unmanned helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing UAS would know what was needed for such medical systems as power and oxygen, according to Satava.

He favors unmanned air evacuation over unmanned ground evacuation, which would be for relatively short distances anyway. Air is "less vulnerable, it's quicker and it's direct." Others say it'll be a while before people are willing to climb onto an unmanned aircraft. The idea of transporting casualties in unmanned aircraft was called Nightingale, but it never got past the concept stage.

DARPA's new Transformer, or TX, project has echoes of Nightingale.

Its goal is prototype development of a kind of flying car that would take soldiers over any kind of terrain. There would be an unmanned version.

AAI is one of a number of companies bidding on TX. Its team members include Carter Aviation and Terrafugia, which is developing a roadable light sport aircraft. AAI also is working with Boston Dynamics on DARPA's Legged Squad Support System, or LS3, a sort of robotic pack mule that would carry heavy loads for soldiers. Many of the technologies used in unmanned aircraft are used in LS3, according to AAI's Reid.

Another hurdle for designers of unmanned casevac systems is that there's no firm US military requirement. But this may be coming, as evidenced by studies under way in places like US Joint Forces Command and the Army's Training and Doctrine Command.

Unmanned casevac may also benefit from TX, as well as from a Marine Corps effort to develop an unmanned helicopter for resupply. Lockheed Martin is teamed with Kaman to demonstrate an unmanned version of the K-Max helicopter for this job, and Boeing has shown how its unmanned A-160 Hummingbird could do the mission. "If they could get resupply working, they could do probably something with a casualty evacuation system," says Larry Dickerson of Forecast International.

ANOTHER WAY IN

Advocates of unmanned casevac could get a further boost from a planned demonstration in Afghanistan early next year of Lockheed Martin's autonomous Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), developed by the company to lighten the load of soldiers and Marines. It can carry 544kg (1,200 pounds) of gear for a nine- to 13-person squad, according to Lockheed Martin (booth 614). Don Nimblett, senior business development manager for unmanned systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, says the plan is for the Army to evaluate four of the vehicles for three months in Afghanistan.


© Billypix

He predicts a decision during that period to evacuate a soldier on an SMSS. "I think they may put him up on the vehicle and tell it to go back to some point, and another soldier will walk along with him to make sure he's safe."

[buglerbilly]

Marshall Land Systems Unveils Remote Control Land Rover

(Source: Marshall Land Systems; issued Sept. 21, 2010)

CAMBRIDGE, U.K. --- A remotely controlled Land Rover developed by Marshall SDG, part of Cambridge based Marshall Land Systems, is unveiled today.

Based on a standard issue long wheelbase military vehicle, it is designed to travel in areas where putting vehicle crew at risk is not a viable option. The vehicle can be used to carry a variety of sensors or loads for reconnaissance, survey or other operations in a hazardous area.

The remote driver’s position is complete with all controls, steering wheel and instruments which replicate what the driver would experience if sitting in the actual vehicle. The driver has a screen which provides him with a real time image of the view from the driver’s position in the Land Rover. This remote driver location can be fitted to any vehicle or building which has the space.

In the remotely controlled vehicle the controls are managed by a series of servos and mechanical devices which turn the steering wheel or push on the pedals. Any vehicle with an automatic gearbox can be converted. The equipment installed in the remote Land Rover has been designed to be fitted or removed in less than 30 minutes so that vehicle can revert to being directly controlled by a driver.

“This development demonstrates the extensive capabilities of our engineers to provide agile solutions which are easily adapted to in-service equipment and provide novel solutions to overcome operational concerns,” said Peter Callaghan, Chief Executive of Marshall Land Systems.

Marshall Land Systems (MLS) is part of Marshall Group, a large (£750M) family owned independent group of companies involved in the automotive, aerospace and land systems areas. Headquartered in Cambridge UK, Marshall Group can trace its history back to 1909.

MLS specialises predominantly in defence vehicle and shelter design, manufacture, integration and product support. MLS has five major components, which design and produce shelters and specialist vehicles, manufacture vehicle load beds, a specialist design division which carries out UOR work, EOD, EMI, EMC, Safety Cases and Consultancy, a fleet solutions division dedicated to provision of whole fleet support and a 50:50 JV with Plasan to provide armouring solutions. MLS has recently established a new business in Norway, Marshall SV Norway, to support its work in the country.

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[buglerbilly]

Not obvious from the Marshall announcement, but this is aimed at utilising all the Snatch Landies that will become surplus as LPPV etc come into UK service............

Unmanned option for surplus Snatch vehicles

September 22, 2010

Providing a solution for ‘several thousand’ Snatch Land Rovers earmarked for disposal, Marshall Land Systems yesterday unveiled an unmanned version of the much-maligned vehicle, designed for force protection duties in Afghanistan.

On show for the first time at its Petersfield site in Hampshire, the 4x4 technology demonstrator (TD) is based on the long wheelbase military vehicle which has come in for criticism during operations in Afghanistan for its lack of protection against improvised explosive devices.

Speaking to Unmanned Vehicles, Marshall Land Systems said the TD provided a perfect solution for Snatch 1 and 2 vehicles, some of which have already been lined up to be sold onto the civilian market.

‘It has potential for a number of different applications varying from detection of various objects through to convoy protection and route clearance,’ Marshall Land Systems’ future business director, Tim Otter told UV.

Earlier in the year, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) released initial funding for development of an unmanned Snatch TD with sources telling UV that there were plans to employ such a system for surveillance duties around bases.

Elsewhere, UV understands that the MoD is in talks with UGV developer G-Nius regarding the possible procurement of its AvantGuard system for operations in Afghanistan, according to industry sources.

They added that the MoD was seeking a variety of assets to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as employed by insurgent forces in Afghanistan. A cheaper alternative could be Marshall Land Systems’ Snatch TD.

The Snatch 2 tests were carried out earlier this year at Hullavington airfield and Dunsfold aerodrome, proving basic unmanned mobility controlled at ranges up to 500 metres. However, Marshall Land Systems said range limitations were dependent upon communications links used.

‘We are looking at ground penetrating radar and other technologies and are talking to a variety of firms,’ Otter added while describing how the vehicle can easily revert back to manned operation for use inside bases such as Camp Bastion in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

John Harris, managing director of Marshall Land Systems said: ‘The concept of operations need to be thought through. The TD could be used as a “sacrificial lamb” but if you lose it at head of convoy, you lose your eyes at the front.’

The remote driver’s position, which can be located in a fixed position or follow-up vehicle, is complete with all controls, steering wheel and instruments which replicate what the driver would experience if sitting in the actual vehicle. The operator has a screen which provides him with a real time image of the view from the driver’s position in the Land Rover.

By Andrew White, London

[buglerbilly]

Can Robot Mules Lighten Marines’ Loads?

By Spencer Ackerman September 24, 2010 | 1:57 pm



Though science fiction may warn us against tempting fate, robots typically don’t mind carrying your stuff on a hot day or a long mission. So it’s easy to see why the Marines are testing out their own Johnny Five-style cargo ‘bot.

That would be GUSS, the Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate vehicle. Currently in development at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Va., GUSS is a sensor-loaded remote-controlled cybermule that Marines are using in simulations to haul gear or get their wounded out of danger. You can pre-program a route into GUSS’ navigation system, letting it go off on its own, or direct it Wii-style using a steering-wheel-like controller. Unfortunately, it appears to have at least one big design flaw.

Sure, Johnny Five was a tracked vehicle and GUSS has wheels. (Also, GUSS probably isn’t alive. Yet.) But like the Short Circuit protagonist, GUSS’ main applications operate along a decidedly low-tech principle: just make Marines’ lives easier. Grace V. Jean reports in the latest National Defense that Marine squads training in the Hawaii heat with GUSS carrying their water supplies were able to complete more practice patrols than those who had to haul their water themselves. Thanks, robot!

He’s even got a counterinsurgency mode. Marines conducting a sit-down with mock Afghan villagers rested their gear on him so that they didn’t look so menacing. Maybe a future model will eat soup with a knife.

On the other hand, GUSS’ eyes aren’t so great and it gets tired fast. “You’d kick up dust in front of it and for some reason the sensors would look at that cloud of dust as a wall,” Sergeant Benjamin Johns tells Jean. “And it’ll stop for anywhere from one to five minutes.”

Kind of a big design flaw, albeit one that flows from an understandable reason. According to our friend David Axe, who checked in on GUSS in July, when GUSS is in full autonomous mode, it doesn’t rely on GPS to get from place to place, thereby avoiding roadblocks or other travel pitfalls that GPS guidance can’t foresee. Its sensors follow Marines as they go on missions, meaning it’s got to go off-road when the Marines do, another thing that occasionally foils GPS. Alas, GUSS’ sensors have to be able to tell the difference between dust and brick if it’s to be useful.

As Axe notes, the Army backed away from using a robo-mule after wasting millions building models that couldn’t handle rugged terrain. And GUSS wouldn’t be the Corps’ first unsuccessful experiment with robots: its gun-toting Gladiator never made it past the testing stage. GUSS is a some unknown time away from being sent into action, so tests and future upgrades will have to determine whether the Marines are finally going to get their own robot pals.

Credit: U.S. Navy

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/09/can-robot-mules-lighten-marines-loads/#more-31225#ixzz10Vx7YOod

[buglerbilly]

Video: Robots Now Guarding Nevada Nuke Site

By Noah Shachtman October 4, 2010 | 1:32 pm



Citizens of Nevada, you can now relax. The Nevada National Security Site, home to tens of millions of cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste — and location of over a thousand Cold War nuclear weapons tests — is now being guarded by robots. The first of a planned trio of Mobile Detection Assessment Response Systems, or MDARS, is currently patrolling some of the more remote sections of the 1,360 square mile facility.

The camera-equipped MDARS can scoot around pre-determined paths on its own, alerting flesh-and-blood guards when it encounters an intruder or a broken lock. In development by the Navy and General Dynamics since the early 1990s, the diesel-fueled sentry bot can operate for up to 16 hours, and reach a top speed of 20 mph. The U.S. military has experimented with using the MDARS machines to patrol some of its Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. The bots have even been tested with automatic weapons — though I doubt that’s the plan at the nuke site.

The Nevada complex, about 65 miles away from Las Vegas, is best known for its iconic nuclear weapons test-shots. Today, it boasts locations to conduct “controlled chemical releases in the open environment to simulate emissions from nuclear weapons production plants,” according to the NNSS website. And the place hosts the “Big Explosive Experimental Facility” — BEEF, for short. It’s “currently used for weapons physics experiments and shaped charge development.”

Going robo at the Nevada site is a cost-cutting move, the National Nuclear Security Administration claims. Using the MDARS will save about “$6 million in infrastructure investments for equipment such as cameras, towers, lights, trenching and burial of cables to support towers and motion detection units to support protection of remote sensitive areas,” according to an administration statement. “Additionally, the robots will result in an annual cost avoidance of $1 million in protective force expenditures and equipment maintenance.” So rest easy, Nevadans. Not only are your mechanical guardians keeping you safe. They’re making sure your tax dollars are well spent, too.

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/10/video-robots-now-guarding-nevada-nuke-site/#more-32410#ixzz11RHqgCBA

[buglerbilly]

Oshkosh Defense Equips U.S. Army Vehicle for Autonomous Logistics Missions

(Source: Oshkosh Defense; issued Oct. 11, 2010)

OSHKOSH, Wis. --- Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, will showcase a U.S. Army vehicle equipped with Oshkosh TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition at the Washington Convention Center October 25 – 27.

The TerraMax technology delivers improved troop protection by reducing human exposure to battlefield threats, such as improvised explosive devices (IED), and increasing situational awareness while the vehicle is on the move.

“Oshkosh is committed to bringing this life-saving technology to the field,” said Gary Schmiedel, Oshkosh Corporation senior vice president of Defense Engineering and Technology. “Our TerraMax technology is designed as a kit that can be integrated in new vehicles as they are produced or retrofitted into the government’s existing vehicle fleets.”

The Oshkosh Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) Load Handling System (LHS) variant is equipped with the company’s unmanned technology for autonomous logistics missions. The TerraMax fully-autonomous navigation kit has been demonstrated on the Marine Corps’ Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles, as well as the Army’s Palletized Load System (PLS) vehicle.

“The TerraMax fully autonomous system provides flexibility to the Warfighter,” added Schmiedel. “It is integrated so each vehicle can still be manually driven with the press of a button. The technology is capable of fully autonomous missions supervised from an escort vehicle at a safe standoff, or operation in leader-follower mode, depending on the mission and situation.”

Oshkosh Defense has been awarded a five-year FMTV contract for the production of an estimated 23,000 trucks and trailers, as well as support services and training through fiscal 2014. The FMTV is a series of 17 models with payload capacities ranging from 2.5-tons to 10-tons.

The Oshkosh FMTV LHS with TerraMax UGV kit will be on display Oct. 25-27, 2010, in booth 2639 at the Washington Convention Center at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection.

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[buglerbilly]

RE2, Inc. Awarded Phase II Army SBIR to Develop Robotic Door-Opening Technology for Unmanned Ground Vehicles

(Source: RE2, Inc.; issued October 13, 2010)

PITTSBURGH, PA --- RE2, Inc., a leading developer of intelligent modular manipulation systems, announced today that it has been competitively selected by the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) for the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop a Robotic Door-opening Kit (RDK) for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs).

"We were pleased to learn that the Army 'Fast-Tracked' our RDK SBIR into a Phase II based on its applicability to both the military and the domestic first responder market," stated Dr. Patrick Rowe, vice president of research and development for RE2. "Our door-opening end-effector technology will be useful for tactical operations within buildings and for vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detection and defeat."

The goal of the RDK technology is to decrease mission duration of UGVs performing urban reconnaissance operations by providing these robots with the ability to autonomously open doors and enter buildings or rooms. The modularity and interoperability of the RDK will allow it to be easily integrated onto the manipulator arms of next generation robotic systems as well as currently fielded UGVs as an upgrade kit, providing a low-cost, autonomous door-opening solution for the military's existing fleet of robots.

The primary objective for the Phase II RDK project is to develop, implement, and test the hardware and software technologies that are required for autonomous door-opening by a mobile robot. The Phase II effort will culminate with a live demonstration of a mobile robot with advanced door-opening manipulation capabilities. The goal of this demonstration will be for the robot to approach a closed door, open it, and successfully move through the doorway, all without human control or intervention.

Dr. Rowe continued, "The RDK is a dual-use technology that could be utilized for a variety of military reconnaissance missions requiring entrance into and within buildings by mobile robots, and for civilian uses such as tactical law enforcement/SWAT, security, delivery, maintenance, and human assistive applications."

RE2 is a leading developer of Intelligent Modular Manipulation Systems. RE2's mission is to advance the state of the art of mobile manipulation. RE2's manipulation systems and components are scalable and modular. RE2's development efforts are focused on creating plug-n-play manipulation systems and end-effectors that are interoperable with existing and next-generation robotic platforms. RE2's systems include the RE2 AUTOMATIC tool change system, Small Robot Toolkit, Dexterous Manipulation System, End-Effector Retrofit Kit, and the ForeRunner UGV.

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[buglerbilly]

Army’s WALL-E Robo-Scout Patrols D.C. Confab

By Spencer Ackerman October 25, 2010 | 5:56 pm



The Army isn’t about to be upstaged at its own party by its contractors. Inside a pseudo-base set up on the floor of the sprawling Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington D.C.’s convention center is Forward Operating Base Modernization, a set-piece military version of Disney’s Carousel of Progress. Only the Army’s equivalent has models of synced-up soldier gear and a 32-pound motorized robot on treads designed to go into dangerous places troops can’t.

This WALL-E-looking creature is the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle, or SUGV, a cousin of iRobot’s Packbots. When last we checked in on it, the Army was testing the SUGV at Fort Bliss to see if it makes sense for infantry use. Testing continues. But the glee with which Army officials showed it off for reporters — and its pride of place in the Army’s brochure for modernization — suggests that the service really, really wants it to work.

It’s not so hard to see why. Maybe there’s a cave in Afghanistan or an unfamiliar compound on an urban battlefield that could be rigged to explode. Or perhaps there’s a place packed with toxic chemicals that troops might not want to explore. Use a wireless controller to send SUGV into that tight spot, and its cameras and optics send streaming full-motion video, still imagery and audio back to a unit to warn it of any danger.
A quick peek at a screen hooked up to a SUGV-eye view showed black-and-white footage snapped of whatever came in the way of its “head,” a programmable amalgamation of cameras propped up on a mechanical neck that can extend about three feet on command. (If it can send color imagery, as was once planned, I didn’t see it.)

At Forward Operating Base Modernization, Major Mark Taylor manipulated SUGV through a hand-held controller, sending it back and forth and elevating it to climbing postures by turning its front treads vertical, a feature that makes the robot hard to tip over and immobilize. But Rickey Smith, a civilian official with the Army Capabilities Integration Center, marveled at one of its lower-tech features: a small black handle behind its neck. Might not sound like the most revelatory addition. According to Smith, though, soldiers using SUGV used to pick the robot up by the neck, breaking it like a child’s toy.

Two more issues for the robot before it’s ready to tag along on infantry missions: first, it putted around the convention floor for about three and a half hours before its batteries needed a recharge. Smith says that the demo copy was “running hot,” using all its features at once, so a more realistic battery life is about five or six hours for intermittent use.

Second, it’s not really built for speed. Although no one on hand could tell me what SUGV’s maximum velocity is, Smith says it “cannot keep up with soldiers” out on a mission, though maybe a “hard march” is more its pace. Hence the reason for the pick-up handle. Whether the Army picks up the SUGV as a whole is a different story.

Photo: Spencer Ackerman

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/10/armys-wall-e-robo-scout-patrols-d-c-confab/#more-33941#ixzz13QBY1sCR

[buglerbilly]

Lockheed Martin's SMSS Autonomous Vehicle to Demonstrate Portable Battery Charging for Dismounted Soldiers

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued October 25, 2010)



DALLAS --- Lockheed Martin's Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) autonomous vehicle will demonstrate its rugged maneuverability while meeting Soldiers' needs to recharge batteries in Portable Power Excursion (PPE) tests next month at Fort Riley, KS.

The Portable Power Excursion test is part of the larger Nett Warrior program, which will use the PPE tests to collect data and form a strategy to help alleviate a Soldier's weight burden, while still providing long-lasting, reliable power critical to today's missions.

"Soldiers deserve the best possible situational awareness, communications, optics, sensors and protection, and the SMSS will help power it all and relieve their burden," said Jim Gribschaw, director of Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "SMSS represents much more than a portable charging station; it can carry more than half a ton of the Warfighters' supplies and can autonomously follow the squad, allowing the Soldier to put down the remote control and focus on the fight."

Lockheed Martin's SMSS vehicle will cycle through three test Companies from the 1st BDE, 1 Infantry Division during the Nett Warrior excursion demonstration scheduled in November. During that time, SMSS will maneuver with Soldiers and provide two kilowatts to four kilowatts of power. With the requisite number of chargers, the SMSS is capable of charging 146 batteries within 10 hours.

In addition to six Soldier battery chargers and a complement of batteries, the SMSS will carry and power a Mobile Network Integration Kit to improve communications from the network to the platoon, as well as transport up to 600 pounds of other Soldier gear.

Nett Warrior, managed by the U.S. Army's Product Manager Ground Soldier, is a set of Soldier-worn, battle tracking technologies that provide dismounted Soldiers with increased situational awareness, better reaction time and reduced risk of fratricide. Nett Warrior is designed for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams. A Nett Warrior-equipped Rifle platoon, along with all of its organic radio power consumers, will consume the power of 140 batteries per day. The collection of batteries required for one 24-hour mission weighs 155 pounds.

When completed, the PPE's safety release for operating by and among Soldiers will be the fourth military-issued safety release for the SMSS vehicle.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.0 billion.

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[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Singapore To Blaze RoboTruck Trail

Posted by Bill Sweetman at 10/27/2010 10:45 AM CDT

Singapore is expected to issue a request for proposals next year for new logistics vehicles — and, for the first time, wants the new trucks to be ready for adaptation to unmanned operation.

“It’s the first time we have seen that in an official bid document,” says Ron Ziebell, vice president for international programs at Oshkosh Defense.

Oshkosh is likely to pitch a version of the U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) truck, which it is building for the service under a five-year, 23,000-vehicle contract. (The first Oshkosh-built FMTVs are being tested at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and full-rate production is due to be underway next summer.)

On show at the Association of the U.S. Army symposium in Washington is an FMTV equipped with the latest version of the company’s TerraMax autonomous guidance system. While the guidance system itself is still under development, the changes to the truck that allow it to be operated robotically are mature. They include steer-by-wire, with no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the drivetrain (the steering wheel itself is back-driven) and full electronic control for the engine, brakes and transmission.


Lidar sensors are on front corners of roof; radar and lidar centrally mounted in the bumper.

The unmanned control suite itself includes two spinning lidar sensors on the cabin roof, and forward-looking lidar and radar in the front bumper, together with GPS and a digitial terrain system. The lidar can compare the sensed terrain image with the terrain database to cross-check the vehicle's position.


LCTV

Also new from Oshkosh is the all-black Light Combat Tactical Vehicle (LCTV) demonstrator, a fast, four-seater diesel-electric vehicle built to show off new technologies. It is a no-chassis design with automotive subframes attached to a unibody armored pod supplied by Plasan. Its 400-hp engine is linked to a 250-kw. generator that drives two rear-mounted electric propulsion motors.

[buglerbilly]

Northrop Arms Robot Pack Mule With Big Gun

By Spencer Ackerman October 27, 2010 | 5:10 pm



Jon Anderson has seen a lot of gawkers pause at his Northrop Grumman booth in the Association of the U.S. Army’s Washington conference. Not that he’s odd-looking or off-putting: He’s a gregarious guy. The stares he’s getting are about the .50 caliber M2 machine gun he’s got mounted on a treaded robot — something Northrop isn’t even selling right now.

“Quite frankly,” explains Anderson, a Northrop advanced-systems employee with short white hair and a whiter smile, “a weapon on a robot brings people into the booth.”

That it does. For the past few years, Northrop has produced a treaded, 60-inch robot vehicle to help troops haul their gear called the Carry-all Mechanized Equipment Landrover, or CaMEL. It’s like a more traditional version of the BigDog robot — a simple flat, motorized platform that putters along at up to 7 miles per hour while taking on up to 1,200 pounds of stuff. Northrop has sold more than 60 of them to the Israeli military; and recently, the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning expressed interest in the CaMEL as a hauler.

Only the version of the CaMEL Anderson brought to the conference doesn’t have any room to load on any gear. There’s a machine gun where the boxes and the body armor should be, with wires stretching from the gun down into the guts of the robot.

With a grin, Anderson calls it a “new application,” comparing his modification to the first time someone thought to arm a drone with a Hellfire missile. “We’re gonna come around the side here,” he says, “and scare people half to death.”

That’s because Anderson has a touchscreen control, mounted in a nearby mockup Humvee, that jerks the gun around, lifting the nozzle skyward, dropping it back down and pitching it 90 degrees around. Passers-by pause their conversations at the sound of the whir of the gears that send the business end of the gun in their direction. Eyes get a little wider. Walking gets a little faster. In case it needs to be said, the gun isn’t armed

But the firing of the gun is all done remotely — through the same touchscreen controls that Anderson would normally use to send the CaMEL marching along. This version is actually stationary, even though Anderson expresses pride in its hybrid engine. (“It works just like a Toyota Prius,” he says.)

It’s just a suggestion for the Army, Anderson says. Fort Benning is interested in a cargo-carrying robot, not a weaponized model: “The Army has not bought this.” That’s an understatement. The Army sent an armed robot called SWORDS to Iraq in 2007 — with great fanfare. But the Army wasn’t comfortable sending the machine-gun equipped ‘bot out on combat missions for fear of it malfunctioning. There are no plans for replacements.

All Anderson is doing, he says, is nudging the Army, suggesting that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to have a rolling armed robot, and rattles off all the guns it can support: the M240, the M249, the MK19 grenade launcher, a 25mm or 30mm cannon. What could go wrong?

Photo: Spencer Ackerman

Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/10/what-robo-haulers-need-now-big-guns/#more-34185#ixzz13bQHV9wy

[buglerbilly]

Robots to Rescue Wounded On Battlefield

(Source: US Army; issued Nov 22, 2010)


The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot is an all-terrain, search-and-rescue humanoid robot that can lift and carry up to 500 pounds, yet can grasp fragile objects without damaging them. (US Army photo)

FORT DETRICK, Md. --- A robot being tested now may soon have the ability to rescue wounded Soldiers under fire without risking additional lives. The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot, or BEAR, has been tested over the past year by Soldiers at the U.S. Army Infantry Center Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Benning, Ga.

The BEAR can be controlled remotely by a motion-capture glove or specially-equipped rifle grip. A warfighter could use the equipment to guide the robot to recover a wounded Soldier and bring him or her back to where a combat medic could safely conduct an initial assessment.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) has helped fund the development of Vecna Technologies' humanoid BEAR, and has funded integration of AnthroTronix's iGlove and M-4 rifle grip controller into the Fort Benning testing.

Gary Gilbert, who manages TATRC's medical robotics portfolio, said the assessments from the Battle Lab provide a key link between research and actual robots that can be used in the field.

"Our goal with the Battle Lab testing is to get the technology in the hands of the Soldiers, either through simulations or live exercises, and derive from their feedback what tactics, techniques and procedures are appropriate for deploying it," Gilbert said.

"These [Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures] can then serve as the basis for developing real-world operational capability needs and requirements," he said. "It's only once we know how we'll successfully use these technologies that you'll see them put into the field."

A computer simulation of the BEAR was created in 2009 for use in the Battle Lab's One Semi-Autonomous Forces (OneSAF) combat operations simulator. An initial series of platoon-level assaults and clearing operations in both wooded and urban terrain were executed in OneSAF, including casualty extractions using both conventional litter rescues and rescues with the BEAR.

The AnthroTronix remote control systems were integrated with the simulation in December of 2009. In June of this year, the BEAR and AnthroTronix controllers underwent live characterization studies with Soldiers observing their capabilities in both urban and wooded terrain.

The BEAR is a multi-modal, high-degree-of-freedom robot that can reach out with its hydraulic arms to lift and carry up to 500 pounds; complete fine motor tasks with its hands and fingers; maneuver with a dual-track system; stand up and balance; and use cameras and sensors.

The robot gained national media attention when it was featured in Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2006. Successive versions have increased its capabilities.

While the initial control of the BEAR is via a remote human operator, work is underway for more complicated semi-autonomous behaviors in which the robot understands and carries out increasingly higher-level commands.

AnthroTronix's iGlove gesture-recognition device can control robots remotely through simple hand signals. The iGlove is a low-cost, universally compatible control device that has been available commercially since 2009 as the AcceleGlove. The company plans to develop a new version with more accelerometers and a digital compass so the user could instruct a robot to disable an improvised explosive device or travel exactly 300 yards west, for example, using signals from the glove alone.

The Mounted Force Controller is another robot-controller device that can be mounted on an M-4 rifle so a Soldier does not have to put down his or her weapon to use the device.

Noted AnthroTronix Chief Technology Officer Jack Vice, a former Force Recon Marine, said, "One of the most promising outcomes of the Battle Lab simulations and live testing was the fact that warfighters only required minimal training to learn to operate both the iGlove and MFC. Additionally, in comparing the iGlove to traditional controllers, warfighters favored the simplicity of the iGlove mode switching, in which they simply reached out and touched the human joint to control the corresponding robotic joint."

Vice added that "TATRC support has enabled us to fully integrate the controllers with Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems software, gain invaluable feedback from Soldiers, and develop new control methodologies as we integrate the controllers with high-degree-of-freedom robots such as the BEAR."

For these projects, TATRC has leveraged funding from the Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Command, the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise, the Robotics Systems Joint Project Office, the Army Research Lab, the Small Business Innovative Research Program and Congressionally Directed Research funds.

"The Battle Lab testing process has great potential for overcoming the numerous barriers to transitioning research prototypes or new and emerging technologies to operational systems," Gilbert said. "Even our initial simulation and live operational assessments point to significant research challenges ahead in developing and fielding unmanned systems for combat casualty care. But this is the technology of the future."

"If robots could be used in the face of threats such as urban combat, booby-trapped IEDs, and chemical and biological weapons, it could save medics' and fellow Soldiers' lives," he said.

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[buglerbilly]

British defense contractor designs Batmobile for military

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Dec 29th 2010 at 9:27AM



It seems that Hollywood may be on to something after all. According to Hisham Awad, Future Protected Vehicles project leader for British defense contractor BAE Systems, the Raider unmanned skirmisher was inspired by the Batmobile, or, more specifically, the Tumbler from the two most recent Batman flicks starring Christian Bale.

"Well, why not? In all seriousness, we decided that we didn't have a monopoly on inspiration, and if we saw something in a film that we thought might be a good idea, why not take a look at it and see if there's something practical we can develop?"
That's a sound argument. "It turns like a motorbike and it has the same wheel configuration," says Awad, though we also note a somewhat more conspicuous machine gun up top. Apparently, such a Hollywood/military connection isn't all that rare – today's troop carriers are said to be modeled after James Cameron's armored vehicles from Aliens.

So, what's next? Awad reportedly mentioned the Light Cycles from Tron, but we're leaning more in the direction of The Green Hornet's Black Beauty. Anybody got Kato on speed dial?

[Source: The Engineer via CrunchGear]

[buglerbilly]

DARPA Kicks Off Mind’s Eye Program

(Source: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; issued January 4, 2011)

Ground surveillance is a mission normally performed by human assets, including Army scouts and Marine Corps Force Recon. Military leaders would like to shift this mission to unmanned systems, removing troops from harm’s way, but unmanned systems lack a capability that currently exists only in humans: visual intelligence. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is addressing this problem with Mind’s Eye, a program aimed at developing a visual intelligence capability for unmanned systems.

Humans perform a wide range of visual tasks with ease, something no current artificial intelligence can do in a robust way. They have inherently strong spatial judgment and are able to learn new spatiotemporal concepts directly from the visual experience. Humans visualize scenes and objects, as well as the actions involving those objects and possess a powerful ability to manipulate those imagined scenes mentally to solve problems. A machine-based implementation of such abilities is broadly applicable to a wide range of applications, including ground surveillance.

The joint military community anticipates a significant increase in the role of unmanned systems in support of future operations including jobs like persistent stare. By performing persistent stare, camera-equipped unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) would take scouts out of harm’s way. Such a capability, however, would not constitute a force multiplier because human analysts would have to interpret streaming video from these platforms to detect operationally significant activities. A truly transformative capability requires visual intelligence, enabling these platforms to detect operationally significant activity and report on that activity so warfighters can focus on important events in a timely manner.

DARPA has contracted with 12 research teams to develop fundamental machine-based visual intelligence: Carnegie Mellon University, Co57 Systems, Inc., Colorado State University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/CALTECH, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University, SRI International, State University of New York at Buffalo, TNO (Netherlands), University of Arizona, University of California Berkeley and University of Southern California. These teams will develop a software subsystem suitable for employment on a camera for man-portable UGVs, integrating existing state of the art computer vision and AI while making novel contributions in visual event learning, new spatiotemporal representations, machine-generated envisionment, visual inspection and grounding of visual concepts.

DARPA has also contracted with three teams to develop system integration concepts: General Dynamics Robotic Systems, iRobot and Toyon Research Corporation. These teams are taking a collaborative approach to developing architectures incorporating newly-developed visual intelligence software onto a camera suitable as a payload on a man-portable UGV.

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[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

The Robots of Tomorrow Might be a Little Late

Posted by Paul McLeary at 2/1/2011 1:42 PM CST



Good news! The robot army we all know will one day take over the world and enslave the human race isn’t ready for global domination just yet. In fact, listening to Pentagon botheads talk, it appears that military leaders aren't even quite sure what to do with the autonomous unmanned vehicles they're developing.

Speaking at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) symposium in Washington today, the Army’s chief scientist Dr. Scott Fish said that while “demonstrations have abounded” over the past half decade, the U.S. Army still isn’t close to fielding a real autonomous robot. Fish says that he has spoken to leaders across the service and “they don’t know when it is we can deliver” what he calls “serious autonomy.”

He said that the Army needs to do a cost/benefit analysis of how much robots cost, what it would take to train soldiers to use and repair them, and how many the service thinks it needs--and to what end--before it can move forward. In essence, the Army needs to start from the beginning. “We need to go back and look at what we want to do autonomously” he said, adding that strategically, “we’ve got to change what we’re doing; it’s not working.”

Now, this isn’t to say that the Pentagon has failed in its quest to develop and field autonomous unmanned vehicles, but Fish added a much needed note of realism to all of the happy talk about unmanned systems. The UAVs and explosives disposal bots being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, let’s not forget, are hardly unmanned. There is at least one soldier, sailor, airman, marine or contractor operating each one. Putting autonomy into those platforms is a different science altogether, involving complicated issues of safety and programming to allow them to operate independently in a variety of unfamiliar environments.

Right now, as TARDEC's senior research scientist Jim Overholt said during his talk, the unmanned systems in use are mission “enablers,” as opposed to partners. “We need to go through a social and cultural change” in the military, Overholt said, to get to the point where these systems can act not only as gear that allows a safe stand-off distance for their human operators, but can perform missions themselves, allowing soldiers to focus elsewhere. We’re not there yet, and the talks at AUVSI today show that we’re probably not even all that close.

Pic: US Army

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TiaLinx's Cougar20-H Mini-Robot Probes for Human Breathing
The Cougar20-H mini-robot system can detect motion and probe for a person's breathing. Photo courtesy of Tia Linx.

TiaLinx announces launch of the Cougar20-H mini-robot

February 03, 2011

TiaLinx, Inc., a developer of a remotely controlled mini-robot integrated with mm-wave miniaturized radars, today announced the launch of the Cougar20-H. The mini-robot system is capable of performing dual functions as motion detection as well as probing for the breathing of a person in a compound that is remotely controlled at long standoff distances.

The lightweight and agile mini-robot with tractable arm has been integrated with TiaLinx's fine beam ultra-wideband (UWB), multi-Gigahertz radio frequency (RF) sensor array. The system provides long standoff surveillance of a premise to track movement as well as to detect motionless live objects. TiaLinx's real-time UWB RF Imaging development was sponsored by an SBIR Phase II from the Army's PEO AMMO, PM-CCS.

Through a software-controlled interface which is integrated into a laptop, Cougar20-H can be remotely guided from long distances to perform mission-critical tasks. Integrated multiple cameras allow day and night visibility of a premise under surveillance for enhanced situational awareness. Capability to probe the compound at standoff keeps the Cougar20-H out of harm's way.

The RF Scanner is mounted on a lightweight arm and transmits wideband signals that are highly directional and can penetrate reinforced concrete wall at an extended range. In the receiver, a signal detector circuit is employed to capture the reflections from targets. Amplitude and delay information are then processed in an integrated signal processor.

"Cougar20-H has the capability to sense-through-the-wall (STTW) at farther distances than Cougar10-L that was launched last month. Cougar20-H can also be remotely programmed at multiple way points to scan the desired premise in a multi-story building and provide its layout. In contrast only Cougar10-L is capable of scanning a premise horizontally for unexploded ordnance (UXO) as well as vertically to STTW," commented Dr. Fred Mohamadi, Founder and CEO of TiaLinx. "TiaLinx is constantly upscaling its UWB RF Imaging core competence to enable standoff sensing of a premise for enhanced situational awareness."

Source: TiaLinx

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Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

The Throwbot Rodeo

Posted by Paul McLeary at 2/18/2011 11:45 AM CST



Every 18 months or so, the team down at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) at Ft. Benning, Ga. puts together the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AWEW)—an event that puts the latest in experimental robotic systems through their paces in a rigorous training environment meant to give the Army an idea of which systems to pursue, and which may need try again some other time.

The event is slated for October this year, and AEWE Project Officer Michael Wadsworth gave ARES a taste of some of the gear that will be on the menu. One of the systems slated for testing is the Armadillo, a 5.5 lb. “throwbot” made by MacroUSA. The system, built to be tossed into rooms and over walls, can withstand 2.5 meter drops onto concrete or 8 meter horizontal throws, and comes with a whopping 5 full color day/night cameras with 4x digital zoom. It can also operate about 300 meters in line-of-sight range, and 200 meters non-line-of-sight. AEWE will also test what Wadsworth called a “tactical throwing camera,” another MacroUSA product that weighs in at a svelte 1.5 lb., and stands at about 5 in. wide, 5 in. long and 2 in. tall, and has 2 cameras.

The team is also planning on testing three miniature air robots in October: two small quadrotar models as well as a fixed-wing platform called Night Hawk, a 1.6-lb. hand-launched air vehicle with a 26 in. wingspan which has a range of 10km and 60 minutes of flight time. But while smaller is often thought to be better, Wadsworth warns that “the smaller the UAV the smaller, less capable sensors they have,” along with a shorter range and problems negotiating winds.

MCoE has a pretty solid track record of identifying ‘bot systems that actually make it out into operations. Back in 2005 and 2007, they tested a series of small, lightweight throwbots called Recon Scout made by a company of the same name, who says it has sold 1,200 of them to U.S. and foreign military and police organizations. In a similar vein, the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 with another piece of gear that went through the MCoE process. Called “Dragon Egg,” the light, throwable, self-righting, baseball-shaped camera can be chucked into rooms before a soldier has to risk his neck to see what’s on the other side of a wall. While no doubt a welcome addition to a grunt’s toolset, these stationary sensors come with some obvious limitations. “The problem is getting an orientation in the room” says Kennedy. “You’re looking at a display and you throw the thing into the room and you don’t know which direction it’s facing once it stops rolling around. So we’re trying to move ahead and find some way to get an orientation through GPS or through some other mechanism.”

When it comes to emerging robotic capabilities still on the horizon, the team at Benning is working on mesh networks that tie multiple ‘bots together, and is currently working with a lead technical integrator and a network provider to design a network to test ’bot control from cellular devices—a result of a direct request from the Army.

MCoE chief Harry Lubin says that ultimately, the goal would be to develop one ‘bot that can perform multiple tasks, as opposed to different ‘bots for different purposes. He says that he would like to see the development of “a family of modular systems so that we don’t have to have one specific system for each, we just have a robot at a given size with multiple payloads.”

Photo: US Army

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Darpa’s Cheetah-Bot Designed to Chase Human Prey

By Adam Rawnsley February 25, 2011 | 1:03 pm



Perhaps you thought the four-legged BigDog robot wasn’t eerily lifelike enough. That’ll change soon. BigDog’s makers are working on a new quadruped that moves faster than any human and is agile enough to “chase and evade.”

Boston Dynamics, maker of the Army’s robotic mule BigDog announced today that Darpa has awarded it a contract to build a much faster and more fearsome animal-like robot, Cheetah.

As the name implies, Cheetah is designed to be a four-legged robot with a flexible spine and articulated head (and potentially a tail) that runs faster than the fastest human. In addition to raw speed, Cheetah’s makers promise that it will have the agility to make tight turns so that it can “zigzag to chase and evade” and be able to stop on a dime.

Cheetah builds off work on the company’s previous four legged animal bot, BigDog. It was built as a kind of unmanned pack mule, designed to carry equipment for troops on the battlefield. The robotic donkey could carry 300 lbs. over 13 miles on flat ground, take a swift kick and keep on moving. It’s creepy, lifelike movement can be seen on a number of videos online, climbing over hills and snow and hiking alongside soldiers, using GPS coordinates as its waypoints.

Aside from its unspecified military applications, Cheetah’s makers see it galloping to the rescue and building a brave new future in the fields of “emergency response, firefighting, advanced agriculture and vehicular travel.”

Think that’s creepy? Wait till you see its humanoid, Terminator look-alike buddy.



Meet Atlas, Cheetah’s humanoid pal. Atlas is supposed to look more or less like the T-800 series of Terminators, minus the head. Its designers say it’ll be able to walk like a human over rough terrain, crawling on its hands and knees when necessary and turning itself sideways to slip through any narrow passages it encounters. Headless, with a torso and two arms, it’s a step up from Boston Dynamics’ other biped, the lower-body-bot Petman.

Petman was built to test out chemical weapons protective suits for the Army by “walking, crawling and doing a variety of suit-stressing calisthenics” and “simulat human physiology.” Designers made it capable of walking heel-to-toe at 3.2 miles per hour and staying upright even after it gets pushed.

As the new models go into development, let’s hope Cheetah never develops a taste for human flesh and that Atlas doesn’t have any hard feelings about its predecessor being a poison-gas guinea pig for the Army.

[I]Images: Boston Dynamics

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DARPA Kicks Off Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) Program

(Source: Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency; issued March 17, 2011)

Robots have great potential to enhance human effectiveness in military and other defense missions. Ground robots have already saved many lives and have prevented thousands of other casualties in explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) missions. Compared to humans and animals, however, the mobility and manipulations capability of robots currently in service is poor. If these limitations were overcome, robots could much more effectively assist warfighters and other DoD personnel across a greater range of missions.

DARPA’s Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program seeks to create and demonstrate significant scientific and engineering advances in robot mobility and manipulation capability. If successful, M3 will significantly improve robot capabilities through new approaches to engineering better design tools, fabrication methods and control algorithms.

M3 consists of four parallel tracks:

Track 1, Design tools: To develop tools that enable prototypes to be built with predicted mobility and manipulation performance, DARPA has contracted with Carnegie Mellon University, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, Raytheon and Vecna Technologies.

Track 2, Fabrication methodologies. To develop printing and self-assembly processes that require substantially less time and expense to assemble robot components than present methods, DARPA has contracted with Cornell, Harvard and Tufts Universities, and University of California, Berkeley.

Track 3, Control methods: To develop and demonstrate intermediate-level controls for mobility and manipulation, including environment-based dynamic gait selection, dynamic gait and body mass modulation, and dynamic stability control, DARPA has contracted Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve Universities, Georgia Tech Research Institute, iRobot, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tekrona, and University of California at Santa Barbara.

Track 4, Technology demonstration prototypes: To design and construct technology prototype robots and subsystems to spur innovation in the above areas, DARPA has contracted with Boston Dynamics, Carnegie Mellon University, HRL, iRobot, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Other Lab and the University of Florida’s Institute of Human and Machine Cognition.

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Robot Research Focuses On Versatility

Mar 18, 2011

By Paul McLeary, Sharon Weinberger
Washington, Washington



In 2001, the U.S. Congress handed the Pentagon its marching orders for unmanned technologies: One-third of the ground combat vehicle fleet was to be remotely operated by 2015.

A decade later, it is obvious that barring a major expansion of innovation the goal won’t be met. There are more than 2,000 ground robots in Afghanistan, the majority of which are used by explosive ordnance teams. But as essential as those bots are, there is much more going on in robotics, from lightweight “throwbots” to swarms of robots controlled by a few users and experiments with cellular-based control networks.

Speaking at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) symposium in Washington last month, the U.S. Army’s chief scientist, Scott Fish, said that while demonstrations of semi-autonomous unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have abounded over the past five years, leaders he has spoken with still don’t know when they can deliver on the promise of greater autonomy. He said the Army needs to do a cost/benefit analysis of how much robots cost, what it would take to train soldiers to use and repair them, and how many the service needs and to what end before it can move forward with plans to integrate UGVs into the force. “We need to go back and look at what we want to do autonomously,” he said, voicing frustration that the work hasn’t been as organized as it could have been. “We’ve got to change what we’re doing—it’s not working.” (For an interview with Fish, see DTI February, p. 52.)

Right now—as James Overholt, chief robotics scientist of the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (Tardec), said during his talk—the unmanned systems in use are mission enablers, as opposed to independently operating systems that can be considered partners. “We need to go through a social and cultural change” in the military, and in society, Overholt said, “to get to where these systems are accepted as mission enhancers that allow a safe standoff distance for their human operators, but can also perform missions themselves, allowing soldiers to do something else.”

Rob Maline of the Pentagon’s Joint Ground Robotics Exercise made similar points in his address, noting that the military doesn’t “have a Defense Department ground robotics vision” yet, but his shop is working on it and hopes to unveil one this spring.

Currently, the ratio of unmanned systems to human operators is still 1:1, which makes the use of robots in combat a personnel-heavy affair. But “we’re trying to change this paradigm,” says Edwin Olson, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Michigan. “We want to have a team of robots that is operated by one or two operators.”

The proof that such technology is not only available but ready for use comes from a military robot competition held last November in Australia. The competition, called the Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge, or Magic, was organized jointly by Australia’s Defense Science and Technology Organization and Tardec.

Olson’s University of Michigan-led team won the $750,000 cash prize using 14 robots that mapped out an obstacle course littered with improvised explosive devices.

“The notion there is that one of the more dangerous missions a soldier has to undertake is to go into an unknown building and scout through the building to see if there is anything that’s a danger to the people going in,” says Overholt. “I would like to facilitate that with robots.”

Robot competitions are nothing new, even for the military. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), for example, held a series of Grand Challenge competitions to demonstrate the ability of cars to drive autonomously. “The Magic competition was different fundamentally, first of all, because it had multiple robots working together, but also because there was a human in the loop,” says Olson, who was also a student technical lead on MIT’s Urban Challenge team, which placed fourth in the Darpa competition.

With Magic, the idea is not to take the human completely out of the loop, but rather to allow the robots to operate autonomously much of the time. That means the robots must be able to recognize objects, combine and share sensor data, and perhaps most critically—and unlike the Grand Challenge—be able to map out an unknown area.

The Michigan team’s robots employed a laser rangefinder, or Lidar, to identify objects as they moved around the field, and then used the data to help assemble a map of the obstacle course. “We basically threw them off the back of a truck and said, ‘Tell us everything there is to know about this area,’” says Olson. “Then the robots divided the area among themselves and explored, and built up a map.”

The robots operated autonomously most of the time, though there was an operator who could intervene. Teams were graded on how much human intervention they required to complete the map.

The idea of a team of robots using just one operator could prove critical for advancing the use of robots in the field, according to Overholt, who believes that what is slowing the use of robots by the military is the number of people required to operate them. “There’s this notion of operational tempo—if the robots are too slow, the military is not going to use them,” he says. “So, one of the ways we can increase operational tempo is by looking at the problem and subdividing it by using multiple robots to handle the task.”

Since Magic concluded last November, Overholt has been briefing Army leaders on ways to transition some of the technology to Iraq or Afghanistan in the next 6-12 months for user assessments. The idea would be to embed the technology in existing robotic platforms, then use them, perhaps on an urban reconnaissance mission, to identify bombs or other dangers. “An ideal,” says Overholt, “would be exactly what we laid out in Magic: send robots into a closed building, map it and report what’s inside . . . before we send troops in to clear and secure the building.”

While academia, industry and the Army work on next-generation robotics, the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCE) at Fort Benning, Ga., is putting the latest robotic gear through its paces, in an ever-changing schedule of rigorous testing to see what might be sent to the field.

The MCE is preparing for the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) at Fort Benning in October, where soldiers will put several emerging robotic technologies through some tough tests to see how they perform.

AEWE Project Officer Michael Wadsworth says some of the gear includes Armadillo, a 5.5-lb. “throwbot” made by MacroUSA. The company’s website says the system is built to withstand 2.5-meter (8-ft.) drops on concrete or 8-meter horizontal throws, comes with five day/night color cameras with 4X digital zoom and operates in 300-meter line-of-sight and 200-meter non-line-of-sight modes.

The AEWE will also test what Wadsworth calls a “tactical throwing camera.” This may be another MacroUSA product, since the company makes a tiny wheeled device with two cameras that is dubbed the Tactical Throw Camera. It weighs 1.5 lb., is 5 in. wide, 5 in. long and 2 in. tall.

The team is also planning to test three aerial robots in October—two small quad-rotor models as well as a fixed-wing platform called Night Hawk, which is a 1.6-lb. hand-launched vehicle with a 26-in. wingspan, 10-km (6-mi.) range and 60-min. flight time. Wadsworth says that while the push may be for smaller UAVs, “the smaller the UAV, the smaller, less-capable sensors it has,” along with shorter range and problems negotiating winds.

“We need a family of modular systems so we don’t have just one specific system,” he says, “but a robot of a given size with multiple payloads.”

Another U.S. company, Recon Robotics, also makes small, lightweight throwbots—it has sold 1,200 to U.S. and foreign military and police organizations. MCE tested some in 2005 and 2007. Michael Kennedy, team lead and senior project officer for unmanned systems at MCE, confirms testing of the Recon Scout and of the throwable, self-righting EyeBall sensor made by Israeli company ODF Optronics.

The 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 with Dragon Egg, a light, throwable, self-righting, baseball-shaped camera that is tossed into rooms before soldiers enter to see what’s inside. While a welcome addition to the toolset deployed with ground troops, these stationary sensors come with limitations. “The problem is getting an orientation in the room,” says Kennedy. “You’re looking at a display and you throw the thing into the room and you don’t know which direction it’s facing once it stops rolling. So we’re trying to move ahead and find a way to get an orientation through GPS or some other mechanism.”

When it comes to robotic capabilities on the horizon, the team at Fort Benning is working on mesh networks that tie multiple bots together and analyzing cellular networks. The team is also working with an undisclosed lead technical integrator and a network provider to design a network to test bot control from cellular devices, a request from the Army.

Just like Overholt and the Magic team, MCE wants one operator to control multiple systems. “We have worked on [this],” Wadsworth says, “but until the Army settles on a standardized controller unit and a family of frequencies that these systems will operate on, that’s going to be a real challenge because all the systems have their own controllers.”

One promising approach is speech control, which eases the burden on the operator. “Some systems now can be controlled by speech,” Kennedy says, though he declined to provide details about how they work.

In Israel, Elbit Systems is expanding its family of man-portable UGVs with the introduction of two models: the Mini-Viper and Maxi-Viper, which join the combat-tested Viper robot in use by the Israel Defense Forces. All Vipers have a triangular track known as a Galileo wheel for stability and climbing, and feature sensors, modules and payloads that are configurable for multiple missions.

Operated from a common controller, Mini-Viper weighs 7.5 lb. and has sensors for operation in a dark tunnel or after being tossed through a window. The Maxi-Viper carries sensors and teleoperated manipulator arms for hazardous materials.

ODF Optronics produces a 7.7-lb. tracked mini robot called EyeDrive, which has autonomous movement, 360-deg. vision and mounts lightweight precision weapons that engage targets on command. One proposed payload is a hopping mechanism that enables the robot to hop over obstacles 1 meter high. A hopping robot would be multifunctional in that it could negotiate all aspects of an urban battlefield to deliver payloads to areas beyond the operator’s line-of-sight.

EyeDrive is also designed to carry lethal and non-lethal payloads, drop communication relays and unattended passive sensors to monitor enemy activity.

ODF is developing with Rafael a lethal configuration for EyeDrive, in which the robot carries 16 miniature rockets capable of neutralizing human targets from 30 meters. Four rockets contained in a quad launcher weigh only 280 grams (9 oz.).

One of the Israeli military’s largest UGVs is Guardium, a compact car-sized robot used for security operations and border patrol.

Russia is designing two huge UGVs that pack as much offensive capability as can be loaded on one system. The military operates a small batch of UGVs from the special design and technology department of applied robotics at Bauman Moscow State Technical University. The 1,700-lb. MRC-61 robot is for recon, radiation monitoring and rescue operations, and is equipped with four color cameras and a manipulator arm capable of lifting more than 200 lb.

The real star is the MRC-27BT, developed by the robotics department. The tracked chassis mounts a weapons platform with twin 76-mm RShG-2 grenade launchers and 93-mm rocket-assist Shmel flamethrowers, a 7.62-mm 6P41 Pecheneg machine gun (with 600 rounds) and six smoke grenades.

“We used standard weapons on the vehicle,” says Ilya Laverychev of the applied robotics department. “On the battlefield a soldier will be able to easily replace a broken weapon with his own, or remove a weapon from the robot and use it.”

—With David Eshel in Tel Aviv and Maxim Pyadushkin in Moscow.

Photo: GNIUS

[buglerbilly]

iRobot Develops 110 FirstLook, a Small, Light, Throwable Robot

(Source: iRobot Corp.; issued April 5, 2011)



BEDFORD, Mass. --- iRobot Corp., a leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, has unveiled pre-production prototypes of the iRobot 110 FirstLook unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).

A small, light and throwable robot, 110 FirstLook provides hasty situational awareness, performs persistent observation and investigates confined spaces. The robot weighs less than five pounds and is 10 inches long, making it ideal for building clearing, raids and other close-in scenarios.

“FirstLook is going to be a very important tool for warfighters and first responders,” said Robert Moses, president of iRobot’s Government and Industrial Robots division. “Given its small size, ruggedness and state-of-the-art capabilities, the robot is ideal for a range of infantry missions and special operations.”

110 FirstLook survives 15-foot drops onto concrete and is waterproof to three feet. The robot climbs steps, overcomes curbs and other obstacles, turns in place and self-rights when flipped over.

With four built-in cameras and two-way audio communication, 110 FirstLook provides multi-direction situational awareness. It also has digital mesh networking capabilities, allowing multiple robots to relay radio communications over greater distances. 110 FirstLook uses a wrist-mounted, touchscreen operator control unit (OCU) with a built-in radio.

Over the next several months, iRobot will demonstrate 110 FirstLook for military and law enforcement personnel. The robot will be available for delivery to customers in 2012.

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company’s home robots help people with smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harm’s way. iRobot’s consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence.



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[buglerbilly]

U.S. Army Eyes New Robots For Afghanistan

Apr 12, 2011

By Paul McLeary



By year’s end, some U.S. ground forces in Afghanistan may head out on patrol accompanied by new allies: unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) that can carry more than 1,000 lb. of gear, recharge soldiers’ batteries and follow foot patrols autonomously.

Thanks to a U.S. Army initiative begun in April 2010 called Project Workhorse, spearheaded by the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF), the service hopes to send UGV to Afghanistan for operational use by October, after a few months of stateside tests.

Designed to carry the gear of squads of 9-13 soldiers, the UGV could represent a huge step in the goal of lightening the often 100-plus-lb. load that dismounted soldiers carry on long missions. The REF says it hopes to award a contract for the UGV later this month, allowing the Army to begin testing platforms by June for a deployment date currently slated for Oct. 15.

Some basic specifications call for a platform that can carry up to 1,200 lb. of gear and supplies, demonstrate an off-road capability and operate in “several modes of operation to include tele-operation, and certain levels of supervised autonomy (follow me, come to me),” according to Mike Chevlin, deputy product manager for the REF.

While the ultimate size of Project Workhorse remains unclear, Lockheed Martin’s Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) UGV is in the running, and there is talk that John Deere’s R-Gator has also been submitted, though the company has not responded to interview requests.

Lockheed Martin’s Jim Gribschaw, director of combat maneuver systems, provided more details about the SMSS’s capabilities. Once loaded with extra equipment, it will use its laser radar (ladar) to “paint” the soldier it is assigned to follow. The ladar also can paint people standing around soldiers and follow them as secondary objects, but “not for very long before it stops and sends a signal to the operator that it needs help,” Gribschaw says. Clutter also is not considered much of a problem. During evaluation at Fort Benning, Ga., the vehicle was subjected to tests where two vehicles crossed paths, and the ladar continued to follow the soldier to which it was assigned.

One of the big issues with long-duration dismounted patrols is battery power, and the weight and space that batteries take up per soldier to keep his ever-increasing amount of electronics running. In Afghanistan this winter, small solar panels that Marines carried allowed one three-week patrol to shed 700 lb. of battery and rechargeable equipment.

Gribschaw says the SMSS can carry six chargers, which reduces its carry weight to 600-800 lb. and the number of extra batteries that soldiers have to carry. During tests with the Army’s NetWarrior system — Land Warrior’s follow-on program — a platoon needed 56 batteries to conduct dismounted operations, but the SMSS was able to recharge on the fly.

Photo: US Army

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More on this............

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

New Infantry Load-Bearing 'Bots Heading for Afghanistan?

Posted by Paul McLeary at 4/12/2011 11:05 AM CDT



The issue of how much weight a dismounted infantryman can carry without losing his combat effectiveness has always been an issue—but never more so than over the past decade of combat, where an American soldier is expected to carry over 100 lbs. of gear on his back for long stretches of time.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, who has written widely on issues of Army modernization and equipping ground forces, says that ultimately, “the idea is to unburden the soldier, off-road and in complex terrain, particularly when he’s moving toward an enemy or in close proximity to the enemy.” Scales told me that it is such a difficult issue to solve because with today’s body armor alone, a soldier is already carrying at least 20-30 lbs. before he is even able to put one item in his rucksack. And if you want to allow soldiers to bring some sort of load-bearing platform along with them to the battlefield, the problem then becomes that “you need to have something light enough for the soldier to lift over obstacles, but heavy enough to carry the soldier’s pack—that’s the sweet spot.”

While technology hasn’t yet reached that sweet spot, by the end of this year some American ground forces in Afghanistan may be able to unload their rucks onto an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that can carry over 1,000 lbs. of gear, recharge their cumbersome radio batteries, and follow their foot patrols autonomously.

Thanks to an Army initiative called Project Workhorse, spearheaded by the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF), the service hopes to send UGVs to Afghanistan for operational use by October, after a few months of stateside tests.

Designed to carry the gear of a squad-sized unit, the REF says that it hopes to award a contract for the UGV later this month, allowing the Army to begin testing platforms by June for a deployment date currently slated for Oct. 15. Some basic specifications call for a platform that can carry up to 1,200 lbs. of gear and supplies; demonstrate an off-road capability; and be capable of operating in “several modes of operation to include tele-operation, and certain levels of supervised autonomy (follow me, come to me),” according to an email from Mike Chevlin, Deputy Product Manager for the REF.

While the ultimate size of the Project Workhorse program remains unclear, we do know that Lockheed Martin’s SMSS UGV is in the running, and there is talk that John Deere’s R-Gator has also been submitted though the company has not responded to interview requests. Lockheed’s Jim Gribschaw, Director of Combat Maneuver Systems, did provide some more detail about the SMSS’s capabilities, however.


Lockheed's SMSS. Pic: Lockheed Martin

Using its laser radar (LADAR), Gribschaw says, the vehicle can “paint” the soldier it is instructed to follow, allowing the soldier to remain unencumbered by extra equipment that would allow the UGV to follow him. The LADAR can also paint people standing around the soldier and follow them as secondary objects, but “not for very long before it stops and sends a signal to the operator that it needs help,” Gribschaw says. Clutter also isn’t considered much of a problem, since the company has conducted tests where it has had soldiers walk between the soldier and the vehicle, “and it maintains track.” During testing at Ft. Benning, the vehicle was also been subjected to tests where two vehicles crossed paths, and it continued to successfully follow the soldier to which it was designated.

One of the big issues with long-duration dismounted patrols is the issue of battery power, and the weight and space that bulky batteries take up per individual soldier to keep their ever-increasing amount of electronics running. In Afghanistan this past winter, small solar panels that Marines carried allowed one three-week patrol to shed 700 lbs. of batteries and rechargeable equipment. Lockheed’s Gribschaw told me that the SMSS is capable of being outfitted with six battery chargers, reducing its carry weight to 600-800 lbs., but which also reduces the number of extra batteries that soldiers have to carry. During tests with the Army’s NetWarrior system—Land Warrior’s follow-on program—a platoon needed 56 batteries to do dismounted operations, but the SMSS was able to recharge their batteries on the fly.

No contracts have been awarded yet, there are still months of testing ahead, and the ultimate size of the program has yet to be defined. But October is only six months away, and the REF is moving quickly. For soldiers who are humping heavy gear in the rugged Afghan terrain, this fall can’t come soon enough.

[buglerbilly]

Insitu Pacific Teams with iRobot to Provide Unmanned Ground Vehicles and Increased Capabilities in Australia

(Source: Insitu Pacific; issued April 13, 2011)

BINGEN, Wash. --- Insitu Pacific announced today that the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturer and service provider will be the new Australian distributor of iRobot Corporation's line of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The new relationship will simplify logistics and training for Australian and New Zealand customers seeking to acquire and operate the operationally proven UGVs provided by iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division. Insitu Pacific will support the growth of iRobot products and services in Australasia by establishing a facility in Brisbane for on-site training, full repair services and inventory storage.

"Delivering advanced unmanned systems capabilities requires the highest standard of industry collaboration," said Insitu Pacific Managing Director Andrew Duggan. "Bringing together Insitu Pacific's proven capability for unmanned systems support with iRobot's advanced range of operationally proven UGVs will provide Australian and New Zealand customers with the potential to leverage a significant operational UGV capability."

In addition to working together on providing local sales and support, iRobot and Insitu Pacific will be collaborating to assess the benefits that can be obtained from UAS and UGV teaming in a range of operational scenarios.

Insitu Pacific has provided unmanned aircraft system services with the combat-proven ScanEagle UAS since 2009. iRobot has delivered approximately 4,000 UGVs to military and civil defence forces worldwide including SUGV, co-developed with The Boeing Company for dismounted mobile operations and infantry missions and iRobot PackBot, one of the most successful battle-tested robots in the world.

"We are excited to be working with Insitu Pacific to help grow iRobot's presence in the region," said Robert Moses, president of iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division. "The establishment of a training and maintenance facility in Australia is especially important as it will assist us in providing world-class service to the customer."

Insitu Pacific, located in Queensland, Australia, has provided UAS services to defence, civil and commercial interests in the Asia-Pacific region since June 2009. It is a subsidiary of U.S.-based Insitu Inc.

Insitu Inc., located in Bingen, Wash., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company. Insitu designs, develops and manufactures UAS and provides associated services for commercial and military applications. With a small footprint and expeditionary focus for both land and sea operations, the company's family of UAS solutions serves the needs of the global defence community. To date, these systems have accumulated nearly 450,000 combat flight hours and 56,000 sorties.

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company's home robots help people find smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harm's way. iRobot's consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence.

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[buglerbilly]

Versatile Robot Ally for the Future

(Source: Singapore Ministry of Defence; issued May 16, 2011)


The Rush Demonstrator UGV, with its electro-optical camera and manipulator arm payloads, can carry up to 30kg payloads, tow a 60kg trolley and drag a 30kg load from its rear. (S’Pore MoD photo)

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), or simply "robots" in lay man terms, are fast shaping the way developed militaries conduct operations. Unlike Unmanned Aerial Vehicles which enable commanders to make key strategic decisions faster and with more accuracy, UGVs are valuable assets in another way.

The Army, which has been looking into UGV technology for about a year, recently unveiled the Rush Demonstrator UGV which aims to address requirements for a future spectrum of operations.

Before the advent of UGVs, repetitive and tedious tasks such as mine clearance and casualty evacuation required sizeable manpower. Imagine an asset which can work autonomously, constantly sweeping the ground to detect and remove land mines, or an automated system that transports wounded soldiers to the nearest medical post.

That asset comes in the form of a UGV which the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries have used to great effect in Iraq and Afghanistan. To put it simply, UGVs proved their worth in performing repetitive but highly dangerous tasks that a soldier would be subjected to as combat operations progress.

Building on success

After achieving success in developing a mini-UAV, DSO proceeded to take up the role of developing a UGV to meet the Army's operational needs. To enhance their capacity to support the Singapore Armed Forces' exploration into UGVs for future force development, DSO developed a UGV with a much higher payload capacity for integrated payloads, as well as towed or dragged loads.

Dubbed the "Rush" for its comparatively fast ground speed, the UGV is designed to be a highly robust and deployable system that can potentially cover multiple roles such as forward tactical surveillance, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive defence, combat support, and even casualty evacuation.

It is currently designed to support two modular mission payloads, the Electro-Optical/Infrared Camera and the Manipulator Arm and Gripper, which are within the maximum allowable payload weight.

Performance for the future

The Rush Demonstrator, which weighs about 40kg, has successfully demonstrated the capacity to carry a 30kg load. It can also tow a 60kg trolley and drag a 30kg load by the rear.

To achieve this impressive power-to-weight ratio for a UGV of this weight class, the design team built the platform using high torque electric motors, which also allow the system to move at a maximum ground speed of 7km per hour.

The system has successfully completed environmental-worthiness tests and demonstrated several engineering innovations by DSO, such as a form-specific integrated circuit board design, common payload connectors and integrated heat sinks.

With its Electro-Optical Camera and Manipulator Arm, the Rush Demonstrator can support certain explosive ordnance disposal tasks and real-time tactical surveillance.

Surpassing expectations

While the team had set out to explore what could be achieved within the local defence science ecosystem, what they eventually came up with exceeded even their own expectations, said Captain (CPT) Gilbert Foo, Weapons Staff Officer, Army Systems Integration Office and officer-in-charge of the Rush Demonstrator Project.

Following the Rush Demonstrator's success, the Army will proceed to go into full-scale development, which will be applied to niche applications.

Robotics are expected to be next revolution in military affairs because of the benefits provided by such systems in countering insurgency warfare. The realisation of key enablers promoting the use of UGVs, such as better networks, artificial intelligence and more efficient approaches to power and energy all make UGVs a viable option for the future, said Colonel (COL) Tan Chor Kiat, Chief Systems Integration Officer.

"We want to position ourselves favourably to capitalise on this potential game changer as this technology matures," said COL Tan.

With so much going for the platform, its future is bright. According to CPT Foo, the Rush Demonstrator has been used in several studies. One example: the 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment tried the system as part of tactics development under the Army's infantry motorisation studies.

"The study told us a lot about what is needed in a UGV and what isn't, for a particular group and we will leave it to further studies to indicate if something like Rush Demonstrator is needed," added CPT Foo when asked about the system's future.

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[buglerbilly]

Utah Unmanned Vehicle Manufacturer Awarded $5 Million by U.S. Navy

08:15 GMT, June 17, 2011

SALT LAKE CITY | Kairos Autonomi, a manufacturer of the Pronto4 Agnostic Autonomy System and located in Sandy, Utah, has been awarded a contract by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Patuxent River, Maryland, for the Navy Moving Land Target Program.

This contract for MLT, a program of record, includes a Base Year and four Option Years that will conclude March of 2014. At contract award, the Navy procured more than $5.1 million in production hardware and contract support. Negotiated option years allow for additional procurements. The contract allows for the procurement of hardware that will satisfy the Navy Tactical Training requirements. With this award, Kairos will become the largest robotic manufacturer by volume of full-size unmanned ground vehicle systems in the world.

The Pronto4 system is a robotic appliqué kit that enables automobiles to drive themselves by following a pre-defined GPS path or via remote operation. The Navy intends to use the Pronto4 systems on pick-up trucks that will be used as unmanned moving targets that Navy pilots can fire upon during training exercises. The vehicles will be used nationwide as part of the Navy’s fleet training requirements, which provides Naval aviators the opportunity to engage upon realistic moving land targets.

The target vehicles are meant to act and look like an enemy combatant vehicle that often resembles an unmarked pick-up truck with a machine gun or other mounted weapon or as simply a truck load of enemy combatants. Unmarked commercial vehicles are regularly encountered in theater and are a dangerous threat to U.S. military ground troops due to their mobility, elusiveness, and unpredictability. “This program provides immense value to the Navy and other service organizations,” said Troy Takach, President and CEO of Kairos Autonomi. “The ability to have threat representative targets in training sharpens our aviation warfighter's ability to remove threats effectively while minimizing collateral damage.”

A number of Utah organizations have nurtured Kairos Autonomi as a small business. The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Utah both played key roles in developing Kairos Autonomi’s technology. Since 2006, GOED has continuously promoted unmanned systems within its Utah Defense and Homeland Security Economic Cluster, while MEP helped Kairos Autonomi develop a quality management system based on international ISO 9000 standards, and to assist with the ISO registration audit process. ISO 9000 was a key requirement for the Moving Land Target contract.

“This contract award is a win for the state of Utah,” said Troy Takach, President and CEO of Kairos Autonomi. “We have partnered with other Utah companies such as Autonomous Solutions Inc. and VPI Engineering to deliver key pieces of the contract deliverables. Bringing this business to Utah demonstrates that the state is and will continue to be a premier provider of unmanned vehicle technology.”

Robotic appliqué kits are the future of unmanned systems technology, Takach said, and the successful use of the kits in training operations will see them increasingly used in adjacent and future markets. For example, Kairos Autonomi will be using the Pronto4 system as part of a Utah-based team that is competing in the Robotics Range Clearance Competition scheduled for August 2011 and sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The competition is part of an effort to bring automation and unmanned systems technology to unexploded ordinance (UXO) clean-up on munitions ranges.

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Surviving Piece of FCS Gear Good To Go

Posted by Paul McLeary at 6/21/2011 10:17 AM CDT



The 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division was recently tapped to deploy to Afghanistan later this year or early next. And when they go, they may be bringing along a piece of gear initially developed for the now-defunct Future Combat Systems modernization program.

The PEO Ground Combat Systems announced yesterday that iRobot’s XM1216 Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) had become the first robotic system to receive a Conditional Material Release, meaning that it is “suitable to meet operational performance requirements, and supportable within the environment it is intended to operate,” according to a statement from the Army. The PEO also announced that that forty-eight SUGVs would be distributed to the 3/1, and the U.S. Army Infantry School.

Developed by iRobot and Boeing as part of the FCS program, the SUGV—which has been described as a stripped down version of iRobot’s PakBot—has been undergoing testing with the Army for several years, taking part in several large scale exercises in operational conditions at the White Sands Missile Range in N.M., and at Ft. Bliss, Tx. The system weighs in at about 32 lbs., has four cameras, a 1 km laser range finder, and can be tossed through windows, driven through (open) doors or culverts, and dropped several meters into underground tunnels while not losing connectivity. It’s controlled by a joystick controller and receives information through live and still imagery.

In January, iRobot announced that the first part of its SUGV order, the Brigade Combat Team Modernization Increment 1 production purchase contract had been finalized for $13.9 million, and that it had already delivered 30 SUGVs, with 15 more remaining to be delivered.

The contract called for the company to deliver 45 SUGVs as part of the Army’s low-rate initial production contract for the first brigade set of Increment 1 capabilities. The robot maker also announced on June 16 that it received a $7.4 million order from the Pentagon for more SUGV work. The Ground Combat Systems office hasn’t returned a call for comment on the combat deployability of the SUGV.

[buglerbilly]

AMSTAF – Autonomous, Robotic Security Vehicle

By noam_eshel on June 28, 2011 3:32 pm


the AMSTAF robot, an unmanned, electrically powered hybrid version of the ODG ARGO 6x6 platform. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense-Update

Automotive Robotic Industry is displaying here the AMSTAF robot, an unmanned patrol vehicle developed for security, border patrol, load carrying and casualty evacuation missions. The vehicle has already been selected for operation with the 5th Army of the Republic of Korea Defense Force, patrolling the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with North Korea.

According to Amos Goren, the company founder, AMSTAF is also being considered for ‘infantry mule’ military missions, carrying the loads of an infantry squad closely following the troops even through difficult terrain. Other applications considered for the vehicle include employment of non-lethal weapons in riot control operations and autonomous negotiation of emergency situations, including multiple ‘flocks’ of AMSTAFs handling suicide bombers with remotely controlled means such as TASER weapons, arresting nets and blast protecting blankets.



Uploaded by defenseupdate on Jun 28, 2011
Automotive Robotic Industry's AMSTAF unmanned patrol vehicle developed for security, border patrol vehicle. The AMSTAF has already performed operations with the 5th Army of the Republic of Korea Defense Force, patrolling the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with North Korea. The vehicle participated today in the Central Command seminar, showing its might in anti-riot operations, fitted with non lethal means.

Read The Article @ http://defense-update.com/wp/20110628_amsta.html

Video Courtesy: Automotive Robotic Industry

AMSTAF is an electrically powered hybrid version of the ODG ARGO 6×6 platform, sustaining missions up to 12 hours of continuous operation. It develops maximum speed of up to 42 km/h and 5 km/h in water and is uses differential low-level steering by differentially powering the left and right wheels. The vehicle uses two electrical motors each propelling the left and right forward wheel, using chain link to run the remaining wheels on each side. The low pressure tires have low ground pressure, enabling the AMSTAF to run over anti-personnel mines without activating them.

Based on Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) elements, AMSTAF offers a cost effective solution for ‘dull and dirty’ robotic applications, capable of traversing difficult terrain including fully amphibious movement. The vehicle is fitted with capabilities for self-positioning, mapping, path finding and obstacle detection and avoidance. On security missions AMSTAF is designed to autonomously engage threats and operate as a single platform or as a ‘flock’. It can climb up to 37 degree slopes with 350 kg of payload.


Automotive Robotic Industry CEO Amos Goren, Next to the AMSTAF UGV. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense-Update

[buglerbilly]

U.S. Army Selects Lockheed Martin's SMSS Autonomous Vehicle for Afghanistan Deployment

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued July 28, 2011)


The SMSS Block 1 is the newest variant, featuring a lighter frame, upgraded sensors and better accessibility. (Lockheed Martin photo)

DALLAS --- The U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force, through the Robotics Technology Consortium, selected the Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) to deploy to Afghanistan for a first-of-its-kind military assessment. SMSS will deploy as the winner of the Project Workhorse Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) competition sponsored by the Army.

The largest autonomous vehicle ever to be deployed with infantry, the 11-foot-long SMSS can carry more than half-a-ton of a squad's equipment on rugged terrain, easing the individual soldier's burden, which can often exceed 100 pounds.

"SMSS is the result of more than a decade of robotic technology development, and we welcome the opportunity to demonstrate this capability in theater, where it can have an immediate impact at the squad level," said Scott Greene, vice president of ground vehicles in Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control business. "The Army has tested the system's capabilities in three domestic user assessments, and SMSS has been deemed ready to deploy."

As part of the three-month Military Utility Assessment (MUA), four vehicles and a field service representative will support light infantry in theater as the service evaluates how autonomous vehicles can support or ease the equipment burden for deployed troops. A fifth vehicle and an engineering team will remain in the U.S. for analysis and additional support. The Army plans to begin the Afghanistan assessment late this year, after a period of evaluations and training.

"An in-theater assessment is the next logical step in the process of informing the requirements for the Army's future squad-sized UGV developments," Greene said.

A fully-loaded SMSS is internally transportable on board CH-47 and CH-53 helicopters, providing new logistics capability to light and early-entry forces. The SMSS Block I variant, which will be deployed, has a range of 125 miles and features three control options: supervised autonomy, tele-operation or manually driven. The SMSS sensor suite allows it to lock on and follow any person by recognizing their digital 3-D profile (captured by the onboard sensors), and it can also navigate terrain on its own following a trail of GPS waypoints.

In addition to a month-long MUA at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2009, SMSS has been selected for further evaluation as part of the Army's Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) Spiral G in November this year. While SMSS has already demonstrated its ability to reduce soldier loads and provide portable power, the November experiment will evaluate its ability to field a reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition mission equipment package.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

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[buglerbilly]

U.S. Army Cancels MULE Unmanned Ground Vehicle

By KATE BRANNEN

Published: 1 Aug 2011 09:13

The U.S. Army has decided to cancel the Multi-Mission Unmanned Ground Vehicle, one of the few systems still remaining from the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.

The 3.5-ton vehicle, which has been in development for years, is more commonly known by its FCS name, the Multi-Function Utility/Logistics and Equipment Vehicle (MULE).

Although a July 29 Acquisition Decision Memorandum formalized the decision, the Army determined it no longer needed the vehicle during a 2011 unmanned ground vehicle portfolio review.

"The Warfighter's requirements in the area of dismounted Soldier equipment transport have shifted to a vehicle with an expanded air assault capability," a July 29 letter to Congress says.

The original FCS MULE program had three different vehicle variants: transport, countermine and the Armed Robotic Vehicle.

In January 2010, the Army canceled the transport and countermine variants but said work would continue on the Armed Robotic Vehicle-Assault Light, being developed by Lockheed Martin.

At the time, the company said the Armed Robotic Vehicle consumed the bulk of MULE funding. Lockheed Martin first won the contract to develop the MULE program in 2003.

Now, the Army has concluded, "the system's Counter-Improvised Explosive Device focus and weight limited the platform's mobility.

The Army's decision formally halts development of the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) and Common Mobility Platform (CMP), the vehicle's two major components.

The Army said it conducted a comparative assessment of existing autonomous navigation system technologies and determined that "ANS development progress did not warrant continued investment," according to the congressional letter.

All work on the program must stop by Sept. 30.

The MULE was one of the few FCS programs still kicking.

Since April 2009, a series of decisions from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Army have led to the cancellation of the bulk of the program.

First, Gates made the most dramatic cut by canceling the manned ground vehicle portion of the program, which effectively brought an end to the FCS program as a whole.

However, several technologies were allowed to continue, including a handful of unmanned vehicles.

In January 2010, the Army canceled the Class IV UAV and the transport and countermine variants of the MULE. Later, it canceled the Non-Line of Sight Launch System.

Earlier this year, the Army canceled the Class I UAV and halted work on the unmanned ground sensors.

A recent internal Army study revealed exactly how much the Army has been spending on canceled programs over the past decade.

"The FCS termination casts an enormous shadow over any debate about challenges in the Army acquisition system," the report released in June said. But the Army's problems predate FCS.

Every year since 1996, before FCS was off and running, the Army spent more than $1 billion annually on programs that were ultimately canceled.

Since 2004, including FCS, the Army spent $3.3 billion to $3.8 billion on programs that were eventually canceled. This equates to 35 to 42 percent per year of Army Development Test and Evaluation funding being lost on canceled programs.

[buglerbilly]

Robotics Technology May Keep Soldiers Far from Harm

(Source: U.S Army; issued August 2, 2011)

DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. --- Unmanned ground vehicles allow warfighters to perform surveillance, route clearance and threat defeat from safer distances. Tele-operation makes it possible for warfighters to maintain even greater standoff distances while conducting these dangerous tasks.

New technology developed by the U.S. Army Tank Research, Development and Engineering Command's, or TARDEC's, Tank and Automotive Research Center may make it possible to perform these missions at an even greater distance, possibly far from the battlefield.

The military currently operates unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, in theater but can control them from the United States. This has proven very effective in Iraq and Afghanistan, so in May 2010, the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center's Ground Vehicle Robotics, or GVR, team undertook an initiative to determine whether unmanned ground assets could be similarly controlled.

"While UAS are flying in theater, they're being controlled from here," remarked GVR Robotics System Integration Laboratory Electrical Engineer Ty Valascho. "Our task within GVR was to see if we could get that capability working and be able to drive it using all in-house assets."

TARDEC's Long Distance Tele-Operation, or LDTO, system allows operators to access a secure Web portal and log into the system. Miles away, the UGVs have already been dialed-in. Once connected, the operator selects a platform from a drop-down menu and is directed to a user interface screen that includes a variety of commands and a video link with the platform.

The robot is operated through the Internet using a cellular data signal.

Directional Associates worked with the original equipment manufacturers to get interface information about the fielded robotic platforms, which enabled the LDTO capability to be integrated onto UGVs. The system has been demonstrated with the TALON, PackBot and Omni-Directional Inspection System platforms.

"One of the constraints we put on ourselves was that we wanted to use whatever systems they were using in theater because it would make the transition to the field easier," Valascho stated. "Because these were largely commercial-off-the-shelf robots that had been rapidly fielded, the government had no technical data packages on the platforms. So that was a big challenge. We had to work with that supplier to get some information. They were very helpful, but it took a few months to get that information."

GVR associates also worked with academic partners through the Ground Robotics Research Center, or GRRC, to design a secure Web portal that allows users to log into the system and operate the systems over the Internet.

"We made the design choice early on to use a cellular data link, so securing that equipment, getting the appropriate approvals and working it through the configuration control board all took some time and effort," Valascho explained. "Michigan State University and Wayne State University, who partner with us through the GRRC, assisted us with setting up the secure website, and once we had that, we were able to begin the challenge of getting the system to work."

While operators have successfully used LDTO to control UAS in theater, ground assets face obstacles that aerial platforms do not.

"When you're flying in open space you can move in any direction at any time. As long as you're staying above a certain height, the odds of running into another aircraft are really slim," Valascho commented. "Airspace is pretty tightly controlled, and you don't really have random aircraft running around."

"On the ground, none of that is true. UGVs have mobility challenges going down slopes, moving up slopes and watching out for obstacles on the ground that they can't overcome or that could overturn them. Those are all things that a UGV operator has to be aware of that someone driving an air asset doesn't," he continued.

While video cameras allow operators to see oncoming hazards, the use of unpredictable Internet connections and data feeds poses significant challenges.

"If the robot's moving at full speed and you're trying to negotiate around something, even a half-second delay can make a huge difference," Valascho noted. "Latency is a problem, and the fact that we're going over the Internet adds another challenge, because it's not constant latency. This is a variable latency, so sometimes the delays are very great and sometimes there's very little delay. We're trying different techniques to minimize the effect on the user."

As the team continues to address latency, they are also developing a user interface that is easy to use, yet still allows the full range of platform capabilities. Currently, a common basic interface is used to control all platforms.

"There are several refinements we're making to the user interface," Valascho remarked. "Because these are complicated systems, we have a balance to strike between making the interface easy to use while still allowing them to have all of those platforms' capabilities. We're working with experts at the Army Research Laboratory who know a lot about user interface, and we've received several helpful suggestions."

Testing at TARDEC's Warren, Mich., facilities and other locations has proven that LDTO of UGVs is possible.

"We first got it working in August 2010," Valascho remarked. "We've conducted end-to-end testing from Fort Benning, Ga., and Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. Our engineers have reduced latency by slightly redesigning the system. I think we have latency down as far as we can get it now, so we're looking to see what we can do to compensate."

Valascho believes that the work done by TARDEC could serve as a foundation for future fielded applications.

"If this were to be a fielded solution, there would have to be a lot of redesign because we would use military satellites and would be doing things a lot differently," he commented. "Right now, we're just showing what's possible, but there are big parts of the system that could be reused if this were fielded."

These capabilities could provide life-saving assistance to Soldiers, allowing them to complete missions while removed from harm's way.

"Driving a robot professionally is a specialized skill; it isn't something that just anybody can do. Our warfighters are very valuable people, so we try to reduce the amount that they're put into harm's way," Valascho concluded. "I think this would be a very big benefit for the Army in terms of reducing risks to these valuable assets."

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[buglerbilly]

DATE:15/08/11

SOURCE:Flight Daily News

AUVSI: IRobot reveals FirstLook throwable robot

By Danielle Lucey

The 110 FirstLook is the smallest member of the company's defense robotic family and is still in preproduction.

The under-5lb robot is a lightweight addition to iRobot's arsenal, able to be thrown into situations like building clearings and raids from up to 15-foot drops. Also able to wade through up to 3ft of water, the 4-inch-tall robot can ascend stairs that are up to 8 inches high, and it self-rights when it is flipped over.

"FirstLook is going to be a very important tool for warfighters and first responders," says Robert Moses, president of iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division. "Given its small size, ruggedness and state-of-the-art capabilities, the robot is ideal for a range of infantry missions and special operations."


© Billypix
IRobot's FirstLook throwable robot, displayed at Booth #1415, will be released for delivery in 2012.

The robot can get a sense of its surroundings with four built-in cameras and a two-way audio communication link, which works via line of sight. However, the robots can relay the information for non-line-of-sight operation.

The robot communicates back to the user via iRobot's wristwatch-like Operator Control Unit.

Nine inches wide and 10 inches long, the FirstLook can run for 6h on a typical mission or can be used as a stationary monitoring device for up to 10h. Through infrared technology, the robot can monitor a situation in both day and night.

IRobot aims to release the robot on the market in 2012.

[buglerbilly]

DATE:16/08/11

SOURCE:Flight Daily News

AUVSI: Oceaneering extends reach to UGV manipulators

By Danielle Lucey

Oceaneering Space Systems, a division of Oceaneering International, recently released a new robotic manipulator, the Terabot S, which it is displaying on a Mesa Technologies Matilda XL robot.

The electric manipulator, with five degrees of freedom, is controlled via what David Spangler, head of the company's Robotics and Automation division, says is "kind of like a Mini-Me," since it's essentially a smaller robotic arm.

Showcased last fall at TARDEC's Robotics Rodeo in Fort Benning, Ga., Spangler says the spatially corresponded master controller was simple enough to use that visiting middle school students were "able to jump on and just start using it."

The arm itself, which can be outfitted on any mid-size unmanned ground vehicle, is rugged enough to handing a 20lb payload at full extension or move up to 50lb when bent.


© Oceaneering International

The company's mastery of robotic manipulators started in the late 1960s to early 1970s when it pioneered the use of remotely operated vehicles in increasingly deepwater oil and gas applications. That manipulator skill set then translated onto ground vehicles and even space applications, with the Robonaut 2 as the company's latest out-of-orbit achievement.

"The specific requirements are different," says Spangler, on working in different robotics domains, "but whether your robot is for space or subsea or OED operations, you want it reliable."

One of the hallmarks of reliability on the Terabot S, says Spangler, is its patent-pending joints, which can be overloaded without breaking. Many of the middle schoolers at the Robotics Rodeo put that to the test, says Spangler, and the Terabot Shandled the stress.

"A lot of, especially in subsea robotics, a lot of the manipulators we use are very strong," says Spangler. "[Terabot S], for its size, it has very good capabilities as well as dexterity."

The end of the manipulator can be outfitted with a variety of tools, which can either be switched out manually by the operator, or the company has the ability to make the tool change autonomous as long as the UGV can carry all the tools downrange.

The arm, which has a reach of 40 inches, specializes in explosive ordnance disposal, hazardous survey and clean up, and inspection operations, according to the company.

The reach of the master controller to the robot can be extended a variety of ways, including a cable extension, wireless connectivity or via a standard serial data link. Depending on the radio in use, Spangler estimates that, operating line of sight, the robot could be controlled from about 20 miles away, although through a network, it can be operated from anywhere in the world.

[buglerbilly]

Bad Eyes Keep Unmanned Infantry Out of the Fight

By Noah Shachtman August 17, 2011 | 8:24 am



The robots were ready. Their weapons were primed. The battle was raging, and in need of new infantrymen — even if those troops weren’t necessarily human.

But in the summer of 2007, the U.S. Army decided not to send its trio of armed robots onto the streets of Baghdad. Partially, it was out of safety fears; no one wanted the blue screen of death to actually become lethal. Partially, it was a nod to appearances; a robot grunt shooting a little kid would have been a public relations disaster.

But there were technical reasons, too — reasons that continue to plague U.S. development of ground robots, and may hamper the development of the unmanned infantry for years to come. Communications between the robot and its human operator remain spotty, at best. The machine still isn’t particularly good at executing orders on his own. Perhaps most importantly, the robots have poor eyesight; the machines still can’t see as far as they can shoot.

“If I’ve got a robot with a machine gun that’s got a max range of 800 meters, and a camera that can only see a couple meters, well, that’s a problem,” Lt. Col. Stewart Hatfield, chief of the lethality branch of the U.S. Army Capabilities Integration Center, told an audience at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Washington on Tuesday. (Full disclosure: I moderated a panel of my own there, as well.)

“Are we gonna get to the point of a Terminator in the squad?” Hatfield asked. “Maybe. But we’ve got a long way to go in terms of trust and confidence and autonomy.”

The U.S. military is looking give munitions to more and more unmanned aerial vehicles; even the relatively-small Shadow drone is getting armed. These UAVs have, in many ways, become replacements for more conventional forces; just look at the drone war over Pakistan. On the ground, it’s a different story. The Defense Department continues to be gung-ho about ground robots for reconnaissance and bomb-handling. But weaponizing those ‘bots? It’ll be years and years before the Pentagon is ready to seriously pursue that.

At one time, the Marines had their own formal “requirement” — an official statement of military need — for a weapons-toting robot. The Corps filled it with a fearsome, grenade-launching machine called Gladiator (pictured above). The robot could deal out all sorts of destruction. But not necessarily with any confidence: “the optics didn’t work,”said James Lasswell, with the Marine Cops Warfighting Lab. As a result, the program was cancelled, and now, “there’s no requirement for an armed robot.”

There’s also the question of control. Ground robots have become easier for people to remotely operate; many ‘bots now rely on an XBox-style controller. But a human still has to work the d-pad in order for the machine to go anywhere. Without hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of advanced sensors, robots still have a tough time seeing and navigating uneven terrain. Which means you can’t just give Johnny Five an order, and he’ll carry it out.

In other words, ground robots, as currently configured, don’t help the military get its job done with fewer soldiers. They don’t save the military money, either. No wonder the Pentagon isn’t particularly excited about mechanical grunts.

“It’s a burden on the infantry,” Lasswell said. “The problem is not the lethality issue. It’s in control of the [robot's] movement.”

On the other hand, ground robots are proven life-savers; ask any bomb squad technician, who now can dismantle an explosive by moving a joystick, instead of standing over the thing himself. That’s one of the the reasons why Ed Godere, with the robot-maker Qinetiq North America, believes that America has a “moral obligation” to field these unmanned infantrymen. “If the capability exists, we should deploy it.”

A remotely-operated, gun-toting ‘bot gives the flesh-and-blood soldier some distance from the battlefield — allowing him to make decisions without being scared or nervous. That “emotional environment,” Godere argued, “is a bigger threat than an armed robot.”

Godere is hardly an impartial observer, of course. His company made those weaponized robots that were shipped to Iraq in 2007, and Qinetiq’s machines continue to be the robots of choice for many military bomb squads.

So Godere knows his robots’ limitations. One of the biggest continues to be communications between human and machine. Radio frequency jammers are among the many things that continue to cause interference. Plus, the flesh-and-blood operator has to be within “line of sight” of his radio-controlled robot. That means if a bomb-bot has to go into a culvert to hunt for an explosive, the soldier has to hover over it — and put himself right in the blast radius.

Ground robots has proven themselves to be invaluable to troops in places like Afghanistan. But they won’t be replacing those people any time soon.

[I]Photo: DOD

[buglerbilly]

DATE:18/08/11

SOURCE:Flight Daily News

AUVSI: QinetiQ debuts downsized Dragon Runner

By Brett Davis


(Credit: Qinetiq North America )

Dragon Runner has a new little brother. QinetiQ North America has just released the Dragon Runner 10, a diminutive variant of the existing Dragon Runner unmanned ground vehicle.

It's small enough to carry in an assault pack and rugged enough to be thrown into buildings and hostile environments, the company says. Although the Dragon Runner 10 looks similar to its larger sibling, QinetiQ director of business development Charles Dean said it's not just downsized.

"The Dragon Runner 10 shares mostly a history" with the Dragon Runner, now known as the Dragon Runner 20, Dean said.

"We went back to the drawing board and invented the Dragon Runner 10 from the ground up," Dean said. "In lots of ways it's a brand new robot." The Dragon Runner 10 incorporates lessons learned from the original vehicle, as customers needed something lighter and more transportable.

The system was introduced to the market on Tuesday. "Today is its birthday," Dean said.

The smaller Dragon Runner can be controlled with the same hand-held device as the original robot, but later this year QinetiQ will debut a new, smaller controller fit for a new, smaller robot.


The DR10 controller is wearable.
(Credit: Qinetiq North America)

"Some customers want a big display, they want to put icons on maps, then some customers want a small screen that fits in their pocket," Dean said.

In addition to the military, the Dragon Runner 10 could be used by first responders, Dean said. "All of our robots are used to separate good people from bad things, so that applies not only to the military but first responders."

Dragon Runner 10 is 15in long, 13.5in wide and 5.8in tall and can carry a variety of payloads. When thrown it can automatically flip video images, controls and antennas upon landing, the company says. It can move up to 4mph.


Uploaded by QinetiQNA on Aug 17, 2011
The Dragon Runner 10 (DR-10) Micro Unmanned Ground Vehicle (MUGV) is a lightweight, compact, multi-mission remote platform developed for supporting small unit, dismounted operations. Using a wearable controller, the warfighter sends DR-10 in first to gain situational awareness and take action. DR-10's day and night sensors enable it to serve as the team's forward eyes and ears while also delivering remote sensors, setting counter-IED charges and more.

[buglerbilly]

AUVSI: NAVSEA presses on with Cargo UGV

August 18, 2011

The US Naval Surface Warfare Center (NAVSEA) will progress with its Cargo UGV programme with USMC evaluation trials slated to take place next week.

According to NAVSEA and Oshkosh officials, five marines will each operate a single Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR). This, they told Shephard, will then allow consideration of adding an extra UGV to be operated by a single GCS, taking the total number of vehicles operated by the system to two.

Responsible for unmanned systems weaponisation and integration at NAVSEA's Dahlgren division, Jeffrey Nachem said the tests would represent 'operational type' exercises: 'The idea is that this is not an operator intensive system,' he urged.

The news follows two Limited Technical Assessments (LTAs) conducted in May and July this year at Fort Pickett, Virginia and Gaskill, Pennsylvania.

Looking ahead, Nachem said it was likely a decision regarding the number of systems operated from a single GCS would be made during Q3 FY12. This will run alongside another LTA which will also consider the further development of autonomus capabilities. Beyond that, a Limited Objective Experiment is due to go ahead in August as part of a larger 'operational experiment', involving additional but undisclosed communications equipment, Nachem said.

According to Oshkosh's John Beck, chief engineer for unmanned systems, the programme is still in the midst of developing CONOPS (Concept of Operations) and TTPs (tactics, techniques and procedures) as the navy considers the 'next step'.

In addition, he said the company was also considering utilisation of an unmanned M-ATV (MRAP All Terrain Vehicle) to provide a protected C2 control station for operation of the MTVRs in an operational environment.

Currently, MTVR comprises one or two LIDAR systems; six EO/IR cameras for 180-degree coverage of obstacle classification; as well as short, medium and long range radars. The US Navy is looking for a Cargo UGV to be able to deliver approximately six tonnes of supplies including water, ammunition and food.

Beck added that a lot of effort was being put into 'perception capabilities' of MTVR for slopes, gradients and 'dusty situations' hindering visibility.

Andrew White, Washington, DC

[buglerbilly]

Marines Train on Robotic Truck for Future Convoys

(Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued August 18, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- Next week, in a test area just east of Pittsburgh, six Marines will learn to control a robotic truck that may represent the future for logistics convoys, route-clearing missions and other high-risk battlefield operations.

Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin developed the TerraMax unmanned ground vehicle technology that’s integrated into the company’s 6x6 medium tactical vehicle replacement.

Oshkosh displayed the robotics-enabled vehicle here this week at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems Unmanned Systems North America 2011 conference.

On the AUVSI exhibition floor, amid the displays of more than 500 unmanned systems companies, user agencies and organizations, John Beck, Oshkosh Corp.’s chief unmanned systems engineer, spoke with American Forces Press Service.

“Most of the ground vehicles that I know of in theater today are remote controlled -- they take a human in the loop 100 percent of the time [to] monitor every motion,” Beck said, and to control steering, throttling, braking and other operations.

In June, the company received a contract to produce an unmanned cargo vehicle for a Marine Corps initiative called the Cargo UGV, for the Unmanned Ground Vehicle. The company’s sponsor is the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Va.

“The idea is to get this autonomous system into theater eventually for all sorts of different reasons,” Beck said, “for convoy logistics missions, for route-clearance missions and for some of the combat reconnaissance and patrol missions.”

The goal of the Marine Corps program, he added, is to integrate unmanned systems into manned convoys, then to understand and develop concepts of operations and tactics, techniques and procedures for using autonomous vehicles on the battlefield.

Oshkosh has experience in theater; the company builds all the heavy and medium tactical vehicles and most of the mine-resistant, ambush protected vehicles – known as MRAPs -- the Defense Department uses, Beck said.

The company has worked on autonomous systems for medium and heavy tactical vehicles since 2003, the chief engineer said, “because we saw this as an emerging technology that we wanted to participate in.”

A year later, Oshkosh entered the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Grand Challenge, a driverless car competition held in the Mojave Desert in 2004. “We made it about two miles or so,” Beck said. “Nobody finished that one.”

The company entered another vehicle in the 2005 Grand Challenge, a 6x6 MTVR like the TerraMax truck on display at AUVSI, Beck said, and was one of the finishers. “At the time it was the smallest truck we built, but it was the largest one [entered in the DARPA challenge] and the only tactically relevant vehicle in the competition.”

In 2007, DARPA held an urban challenge and another Oshkosh MTVR, this time a 4x4, entered the competition.

“Those were interesting challenges in that they were completely unmanned and totally autonomous,” Beck said. “So we started from there, and now are back-stepping into how you would use [autonomous vehicles] in a tactical environment and in real logistics missions.”

The team works on challenging problems like helping the truck deal with big slopes and grades, but they also focus on the robot’s ability to perceive and understand the environment.

The truck has to understand trees, rocks and roads and where it should be driving. It has to be able to operate in environments with limited Global Positioning System access.

“It’s not very difficult to do those types of things in structured environments like today’s highways with lane markings and curbs and K-rail [barriers],” Beck said. “But when you get into more austere and primitive environments, it gets much more challenging.”

Seeing through dust, rain and snow is another challenge, the chief engineer said. For such things the truck has a range of sensors, including lidar, for light detection and ranging, electro-optical sensors, automotive radars, near-infrared cameras and many others.

“Without perception,” Beck said, “your autonomy can fall apart pretty quickly.”

Oshkosh recently completed its first limited technical assessment for TerraMax, he added, “which got us through all kinds of little wickets -- obstacle avoidance, operating in dust and dealing with graded slopes and vegetation.”

Next week in Pennsylvania, Beck said, the team will teach Marines how to use the truck’s operator control unit and rotate them through the command-and-control and other vehicles.

The Marines, he said, will define missions for the unmanned system, monitor its progress, help it out if it needs guidance and supervise the autonomous operation of a mission.

“Part of the second phase of the program will be to have two unmanned trucks operated from one operator control unit,” Beck said. “One operator in a manned vehicle somewhere within the column can monitor the progress of two autonomous vehicles. If they get into trouble the operator can help reroute them.”

Eventually, Beck said, he thinks it will be possible for trucks to operate autonomously in places like Afghanistan where infrastructure is limited.

“There are plenty of hard problems to deal with, where you get into unstructured and dynamic environments,” the chief engineer said. “All sorts of questions need to be answered as to how you want the vehicle to operate.”

A driver might not stop at every stop sign or obey all the traffic rules in a hostile environment, Beck added. “Making the robot intelligent enough to make those types of decisions is a little ways out,” he said.

Asymmetric warfare drives the need for vehicles that are increasingly autonomous, Beck said, adding that the first vehicles might be autonomous but have a driver behind the wheel who can focus on other things besides driving the truck, like looking out for roadside bombs.

“They’ll probably start out with limited, proven amounts of technology and active safety, … like adaptive cruise control, and those capabilities will start rolling into and enabling autonomous operation,” the chief scientist said.

“As the capabilities get better and the environment is understood enough so you can run these [trucks] without people in the cab, that’s what will happen, especially in very high-risk areas,” he added.

“I think that’s when they’ll start running vehicles autonomously,” Beck said, “because it’s less of a risk to human life.”

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Tiny Pocketbots Prepped for Combat

By Noah Shachtman August 19, 2011 | 7:00 am


Uploaded by irobotitube on Jun 28, 2011
The iRobot 110 FirstLook is a small, light, throwable robot that provides hasty situational awareness, performs persistent observation and investigates confined spaces.

When the U.S. military first got serious about ground robots, it bought up a bunch of 42-pound machines called PackBots. The name implied that infantrymen would just throw the robots in their rucksacks. In reality, the things were too heavy for already-overloaded troops to carry around on the regular. The PackBot’s main competitor, the Talon, was even more of a burden. It weighed a whopping 125 pounds.

Now, there’s a new wave of reconnaissance bots being prepared for combat. And they are radically smaller than the previous generation; the tiniest of them weigh less than a pound-and-a-half. Which means they’ll not only fit inside a backpack, they might even squeeze inside a jacket or a pair of pants. Call them pocketbots.

Both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps are expected shortly to issue “urgent” battlefield requests for 3,500 to 5,000 of the micro machines. The idea that these new models can be tossed into a building or over a wall, allowing an infantryman to get a sense of what’s inside a room before he kicks down the door.

Three different bot-makers showed off their pocketbot models at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Washington this week. If they work as advertised, they could be the next big leap forward for military robotics.

Ground robots were originally issued to a specialized few, like explosive ordnance disposal technicians. That eventually grew to an unmanned force that’s now 2,000 strong in Afghanistan. These machines are so small, the military could potentially expand the robotic army even further.

“We can provide this capability to ever soldier on the battlefield,” says retired Navy Captain Robert L. Moses. He’s an executive with iRobot, maker of the original PackBot — and a new, nine-inch “throwable” machine.

The First Look (that’s a video of it, above) appears to be almost identical to the PackBot. Like the bigger machine, it’s got flippers that allow it to spring up stairs (I saw it climb steps as big as the ‘bot). It’s got four color cameras, peeking out in every direction, and it can form a mesh network with its fellow machines. But the First Look has one not-entirely-insignificant difference from the Packbot: it’s five pounds, not 42.



Smaller still is the Throwbot, which was being demonstrated just across the aisle at the AUVSI conference. Shaped like a dumbbell and weighing just over a pound, the seven-inch machine scuttled across a pan of gravel and sand. Then a representative from Throwbot-maker Recon Robotics picked it up, and chucked it over a mock adobe wall. A handheld controller showed black-and-white footage from the machine’s single video camera. The feed won’t travel far — the Throwbot’s range is just 300 feet outdoors, and 100 feet inside. But it’s enough to provide a sneak peek of room from the one next door. 1,000 of the machines have been sold to law enforcement and military units.

Machines like this have been is service for years — but not always with the best results. The robots aren’t the best at getting around obstacles, and a single, low-rez camera doesn’t provide ideal views. The Israeli Defense Forces, an early user or chuckable bots, has complained that using one early in an assault can sacrifice the element of surprise. “What could be more obvious than a several-pound robot crashing through a window to land at your feet?” our own David Axe asked a few months back. During a raid on suspected drug house in Arizona, the local police waited until after the first round of fighting to throw a robot into the place.


Uploaded by QinetiQNA on Aug 17, 2011
The Dragon Runner 10 (DR-10) Micro Unmanned Ground Vehicle (MUGV) is a lightweight, compact, multi-mission remote platform developed for supporting small unit, dismounted operations. Using a wearable controller, the warfighter sends DR-10 in first to gain situational awareness and take action. DR-10's day and night sensors enable it to serve as the team's forward eyes and ears while also delivering remote sensors, setting counter-IED charges and more

At the other end of the conference call is the biggest of the pocketbots. In fact, at 15 inches long and 17 pounds fully loaded, it’s probably a stretch to say that the Dragon Runner 10 is pocketable at all. Then again, none of the other micro machines come with an optional arm and a claw.

Qinetiq, which makes the Dragon Runner 10, has spent years catering its heavier line of robots to bomb squads around the world. Military explosives-handlers tend to prefer the sturdier, stronger machines. The company has taken the same approach in its mini-me line. Along with the (relatively) big bot, there’s a rugged, eight-inch controller, plus another six pounds or so worth of batteries.

The Dragon Runner will go further than its competitors: 600 feet outside. The arm lets it do more than just scout out a dangerous area; it can detonate improvised bombs once its gets there. The Dragon Runner can carry two to three pounds — more than enough plastic explosives to blow a jury-rigged weapon into scraps. But it can’t climb stairs with the arm attached, which limits its utility.

This king-sized pocketbot could become an oxymoron as the military’s unmanned force continues to grow. Or this new wave of tiny robots might be big enough for something as large as a 17-pounder.

Photo: Noah Shachtman

[buglerbilly]

Roke, Industry Alliance to develop UGV platform

September 06, 2011


TRAKKAR UGV........there is another version that has a roll cage and no box on the top, i.e. open carrier


QUESTAR...........

Roke Manor Research has joined forces with Marshall Land Systems to provide a mobile surveillance and Electronic Warfare (EW) capability for Marshall's unmanned ground vehicle platforms. The new system will be demonstrated at DSEi's Robotics Showcase being held at the ExCeL Centre, London 13-16 September.

Roke joins a number of defence technology developers in supporting Marshall to develop a sophisticated, market leading unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) system. Providing stand-off surveillance capabilities, the enhanced UGV will give troops advanced surveillance support, particularly when performing dismounted patrols. The new UGV system will also reduce the exposure of personnel to risk from snipers, when searching buildings, thoroughfares and vehicles for threats such as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Synapse, Roke's intelligent navigation system for unmanned systems, will be integrated into Marshall's two UGV platforms - QUESTAR and TRAKKAR. This enables the platform to roam beyond the operator's line of site as it intelligently optimises its given route plan to avoid obstacles and perform its mission while minimising power use and maximising survivability.

Roke Manor's communications EW system, RESOLVE, will be integrated into Marshall's TRAKKAR platform to provide additional ISTAR capability. Using an unmanned system to carry an EW manpack allows the sensor to be located in regions that would normally present too high a risk to personnel. RESOLVE will provide an additional sensor, enhancing situational awareness by rapidly providing patrols with a position fix for hostile communication equipment.

Others involved in the project to enhance the capabilities of Marshall's UGV platforms include:

- NIITEK's VISOR system will provide ground penetrating radar for IED identification.

- Chess Dynamics's OWL Electro-Optical Director, mounted on a Clark Mast will provide a thermal and optical surveillance camera.

- Cobham's DOMO digital communication and data link.

- Ovation's Gemini-2 video link expander.

Andy Wallace, Programme Manager at Marshall Land Systems, said: "Our expertise in developing UGVs has seen us develop increasingly agile systems that significantly reduce the weight burden of dismounted troops. Working with our partners such as Roke will enable us to offer the most advanced systems on the market, going beyond the weight burden to reducing the exposure of military personnel in hostile environments."

Paul Webb, Unmanned Systems Business Sector Manager, at Roke Manor Research, said: "This partnership is an excellent example of what can be achieved when leading product innovators work together. Between us all we have created a user friendly and highly intelligent asset that offers practical and effective support in the battlefield."

Source: Roke

[buglerbilly]

Head Logistics Officer: Unmanned Vehicles and Better Trained Soldiers

(Source: Israel Defense Forces; issued Sept. 6, 2011)

The IDF Logistics Corps will soon implement unmanned vehicles used for supply transport and enhance soldier durability, according to Head Logistics Officer, Brig. Gen. Mofid Ganem who spoke at the Fifth Annual Latrun Conference today, Tuesday (September 6).

Brig. Gen. Ganem addressed supply transfer challenges in complex warzones and future logistics solutions.

A 'supply chain' refers to transfer of supplies such as food, medical equipment, fuel, ammunitions and other, to combat soldiers in the field during an emergency. The equipment is transported in a variety of ways that require securing of routes.

"We've improved supply transportation since the Second Lebanon War," said Brig. Gen. Ganem. "We train the forces to create better suited routes."

Since logistics soldiers are many times required to enter warzones, they will now be trained accordingly.

"We teach our logistics officers to approach the forces in spite of the dangers," explained Brig. Gen. Ganem. "In enemy presence we will be able to employ logistics soldiers as security forces as well, trained to fight and better understand the situation."

Brig. Gen. Ganem discussed technological advancements in command and control systems as well as incorporating the use of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.

The vehicles will transport supplies to infantry forces without risking human life. "These will definitely be taken into consideration in the upcoming IDF's multi-annual plan," he said to IDF Website.

Lighter and longer-lasting supply carriers are being developed as well.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

This is one of the UGV's the Israeli's are developing, looks more practical than some US designs...............as in built for rough terrain use.............



The REX autonomous operated vehicle developed by IAI, as a future load carrier supporting dismounted forces.
Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense-Update

[buglerbilly]

iRobot Updates BCTM Contract Status

(Source: iRobot Corp.; issued September 7, 2011)

BEDFORD, Mass. --- iRobot Corp., a leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, today announced that it had received a partial termination for convenience notification from The Boeing Company of the contract for the design and development of the 320 SUGV robot.

Boeing, as lead system integrator under the U.S. Army’s Brigade Combat Team Modernization Program, was the prime contractor. iRobot developed the technology as a subcontractor to Boeing. The effective date of the termination is September 30, 2011.

“This notification is consistent with our expectations,” said Robert Moses, president of iRobot’s Government and Industrial Robots division. “The SUGV robot has proven its worth as a man-portable, rugged and easy-to-use robot. Warfighters are using it to perform a wide variety of missions due to its success on the battlefield. Given current budget pressures, the Department of Defense is pursuing more cost-effective contractual arrangements. iRobot is in continuing discussions directly with the Army to help it reduce costs for the development and acquisition of SUGVs in 2011 and 2012,” he added.

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The company’s home robots help people find smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harm’s way. iRobot’s consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

REX, a Robotic Mule from IAI



REX, a Robotic K9 from IAI is designed to offload the warfighter from excessive loads carried on dismounted missions. It is trained to follow simple commands, like a trained dog and follow the team's advanced tracking 'virtual bread crumbs' left behind by the advancing force. Photo: Noam Eshel

IAI is introducing a small robotic platform called REX, designed to support infantry teams in dismounted operations. The robotic platform employs a simplified, specially developed method to recognize the path of its leading soldier, following the team’s path with high accuracy using ‘virtual bread crumbs’ the leading soldier leaves behind him. REX’s dimensions and shape were determined to enable the robot efficient integration with common infantry tasks, such as entry into a building (narrow enough to move through doors) or jump from helicopters (the REX fits nicely inside a Blackhawk). Currently in final integration phases at IAI’s robotics department, part of the LAHAV division, REX has already been presented to potential customers and have raised considerable interest. Offloaded from its cargo, REX can be quickly reconfigured to evacuate a wounded soldier on a stretcher. The vehicle’s flatbed already has the attachments to secure the stretcher in place for such mission.

SInce the first introduction of REX in Korea, in 2009 the vehicle evolved, and shrinked in size to enable operations in enclosed spaces and urban terrain. It is narrow enough to pass through doors and fits comfortably inside a Blackhawk helicopter on air mobile operations, flying along with the squad. Photo: Noam Eshel, Defense Update

According to program manager Uri Paz-Meidan, the small and compact robot was designed to support dismounted infantrymen by carrying various combat loads and supplies, offloading the warfighter from excess, non-combat loads currently carried on a mission. Such load generally includes food and water for extended mission, additional ammunition and many spare batteries of various types, to last the entire mission, as well as relatively heavy mission equipment such as man portable rockets and missiles, observation systems etc. In fact, the small robot is designed to support the modern infantry system, which adds much functionality to the warfighter’s mission but also increases the load weight. To sustain long operations REX will also be configured with battery storage bay and on-board charger feeding on the vehicle’s generated power to maintain a supply of fully charged batteries, reducing man-portable and consumption of spare batteries.

REX is designed as an all terrain 4×4 vehicle powered by a piston engine. The platform weighing about 150 kg can carry 250 kg load, enough to support an infantry squad on a 72 our mission. REX carries enough fuel to move over 100 km. Part of its load can include extra fuel to further extend operational endurance.


Designed as an affordable robotic platform, REX is positioned to be fielded as an organic asset supporting the infantry squad. Photo: Noam Eshel, defense update

The compact robot follows simple commands similar to those used in dog training. The operator can instruct the robot to stay or move behind the force at a certain distance, or close in. He can also transfer control to another team member at a press of a button. The vehicle uses ultrasonic sensors to move forward, keeping clearing off obstacles along its way. Its movement path is determined by electronic ‘breadcrumbs’ automatically placed by the advancing infantry along the way. Multiple sensors are used to determine the vehicle’s position relative to the supported team, both in open area, urban terrain or in GPS denied conditions. REX was designed as a simple and reliable vehicle, responding to five basic commands. The robot is instructed to keep a short or long distance from the team it supports, ordered to ‘stay’ in its place or dash forward to link with the force Alternatively, in situations where a vehicle should move on a different path, it can be driven by tele-operated by remote control unit.

IAI unveiled the REX concept two years ago in 2009, introducing a larger model, configured as a 6×6 platform. Since then the concept evolved into the 4×4 version unveiled at the Latrun Land Warfare conference in 2011. The international debut is planned next month, at the AUSA exhibition in Washington DC.

[buglerbilly]

DSEi 2011: Roke Manor and MLS team for unmanned EW solution

September 13, 2011



Roke Manor Research and Marshall Land Systems (MLS) will use DSEi to show off a prototype of an updated UGV designed for EW missions as well as more traditional surveillance operations.

The pair has integrated MLS’s Questar and Trakkar UGVs with Roke Manor Research’s Resolve EW system as well as the Synapse intelligent navigation system, designed to allow the platform to ‘roam beyond the operator’s line of sight’.

According to a spokesperson for Roke Manor Research, the updated UGV will provide ‘stand-off surveillance capabilities [and] will give troops advanced surveillance support, particularly when performing dismounted patrols.

Using an unmanned system to carry an EW manpack allows the sensor to be located in regions that would normally present too high a risk to personnel. Resolve will provide an additional sensor, enhancing situational awareness by rapidly providing patrols with a position fix for hostile communication equipment.

‘The new UGV system will also reduce the exposure of personnel to risk from snipers, when searching buildings, thoroughfares and vehicles for threats such as Improvised Explosive Devices,’ it was added.

Andy Wallace, programme manager at MLS, specifically highlighted associated benefits of reducing the weight burden of dismounted troops and said: ‘Working with our partners such as Roke will enable us to offer the most advanced systems on the market, going beyond the weight burden to reducing the exposure of military personnel in hostile environments.’

However, Roke Manor officials told Shephard that the project was too immature to talk about any operational evaluations, although they admitted that demonstrations would take place at the show for the first time.

Describing why Roke Manor and MLS had pursued such a programme, they added: ‘We had a joint project to integrate our vision processing control software onto the Marshalls vehicle and added further capability for the DSEi demo.’

Other capabilities for upgraded MLS UGVs include the Niitek Visor system for ground penetrating radar; Chess Dynamics’ OWL Electro-Optical director; Cobham’s DOMO digital communication data link; and Ovation’s Gemini-2 video link expander.

Andrew White, London

[buglerbilly]

Boeing UK, John Deere Introduce the M-Gator A3 Robotic Load Carrier


The R-Gator ACS, developed by Boeing Defence UK in partnership with John Deere, is a highly mobile, heavy-duty cross-country vehicle that is capable of keeping up with soldiers over rough terrain. Photo: John Deere/Boeing

A robotic load carrier developed by Boeing UK in cooperation with utility vehicle manufacturer John Deere and Boeing UK is unveiled today at DSEi 2011. The robotic vehicle called R-Gator A3 Assisted Carriage System (ACS) is based on John Deere’s R-Gator robotic utility vehicle.


The ACS can support an infantry section of up to eight men by allowing them to offload up to 635kg of individual equipment. Photo: John Deere/Boeing

It is designed to help reduce the amount of weight they have to carry in the field – often as much as half their own body weight in equipment, armor and supplies. The ACS can support an infantry section of up to eight men by allowing them to offload up to 635kg of individual equipment. It can also carry an increased level of combat ready supplies for more effective patrolling and re-supply operations. It can be reconfigured to meet a multitude of ground support needs.

The R-Gator ACS supports the dismounted teams with offering a highly capable cross-country mobility platform capable of keeping up with soldiers over rough terrain. The system utilizes John Deere’s proven M-Gator platform, with modified based on feedback received from soldiers and marines. According to Boeing, the modified vehicle can better perform tactical support functions, and meet the heavy-duty hauling requirements of military applications. For example, the A3’s has multiple tie-down points for sling loading, underbody skid plates, a front cargo rack and a rifle mount system to carry military specific loads. The vehicle implements precision guidance, navigation and obstacle avoidance technologies derived from John Deere’s field proven agricultural product range. R-Gator ACS can operate autonomously or be driven manually in day and night.

Both the R-Gator and the new M-Gator A3 have adjustable four-wheel independent suspension, high ground clearance and an enclosed clutch for improved fording capabilities, and a top speed of 32mph. John Deere claims the M-Gator A3 is the fastest commercial off-the-shelf diesel utility vehicle on the market.

Copyright © 2011 Defense Update. All Rights Reserved.

[buglerbilly]

Robot Climbs Wall, BASE Jumps Analysis by Jesse Emspak

Tue Sep 13, 2011 08:41 AM ET



So robots can rescue miners, vacuum your floors and walk on water. But can they BASE jump?

Well, they can now. A team of students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), collaborating with Disney Research, has built a robot called Paraswift. It climbs a wall, deploys a parachute and jumps.

While it’s certainly entertaining, that wasn’t the entire reason to design the thing. The group of 10 students brought together mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and industrial design. They wanted to find a way to build a better wall-climbing robot.

Most robots do it with magnets or suction cups. Some try to grip. All three methods are limited. The first can only stick to metal surfaces. The second needs to create a good seal, and that isn’t easy on a rough surface. Grips are better for cliff sides but less useful for something like a building, which has fewer handholds.

To get around this, the students designed a kind of suction cup that constantly generates a low-pressure zone inside it. A regular suction cup needs a good seal, because the lower pressure inside it (which sticks it up) has to be maintained. But if you put an impeller in it and constantly force air out, it no longer matters if the seal isn’t perfect.

Then came designing the flight systems. The challenge there was that the Paraswift isn’t as high as a regular BASE jumper would be, so whatever parachute it uses has to deploy quickly. In this case, the team built it with a parachute that looks a bit like a hang glider and is deployed by remote control before the jump.

As much fun as watching robots jump off buildings may be, there is more to this story. Any robot that can climb a building surface would be useful -- especially if its inventors could find a way to get it going faster. For instance, it could take pictures of areas that human can’t get as close to, which could help structural engineers or even offer a better way to map an area in 3-D (by getting another perspective).

Credit: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology



Uploaded by DisneyResearch on Sep 6, 2011

Paraswift is the first robot that can climb a vertical surface and deploy a paraglider for a safe return to earth. It demonstrates how robots are becoming increasingly versatile at moving around human environments.

This research was published at CLAWAR 2011, the 14th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots and the Support Technologies for Mobile Machines. The technical contributions are in the optimization of the vortex to achieve an adhesion force of 40N, and the deployment mechanism of the paraglider. See the second Paraswift video for
examples of climbing on different building surfaces.

[buglerbilly]

DSEi 2011: Aero Sekur reveals plans for new UGV

September 14, 2011

Aero Sekur is developing a 'quad bike' UGV, the company announced at the DSEi exhibition in London on 14 September.

Mark Butler, CEO of the company, told Shephard that the ‘Midi UGV' is realistically 12 months away from completion, and has been developed alongside the Italian MoD.

The system is 'like a quad bike with sensor arrays and cameras' that will be used for threat search, and with a 25 mile range can be sent ahead of a manned vehicle to search the area.

The UGV goes as quickly as a manned vehicle, which Butler explained is in response to the 'robots' currently used in these operations that 'slow the convoy down'.

With the distance the vehicle will be able to cover, it gives troops the 'time to take precautions or avoid it [the threat]', he said.

Butler emphasised the need for a disposable system that avoids putting a soldier at risk. The system is still being tested and is at a development contract stage with the MoD.

Meanwhile, the company is also undergoing final qualification testing on its Precision Airdrop System (PAS), and it is expected to be completed within the next three years.

The PAS uses an autonomous control system that guides a load undamaged and into a guided space.

A contract on the system is expected in 'the next few months' with an undisclosed European customer, although it has received interest from forces in four different continents, Butler said.

The company also provides UAV recovery systems for medium-sized platforms and this product has been in service with an undisclosed customer for some five years.

Beth Stevenson, London

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Robot Cams Coming to Georgia

Posted by Paul McLeary at 9/15/2011 11:58 AM CDT



LONDON--Every 18 months or so, the team at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) at Ft. Benning, Ga. sponsors the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE)—an event that puts the latest in experimental robotic systems through their paces in order to give the Army an idea of which systems to pursue, and which may need try again some other time.

In other words, the Army hands out robots to see what new and exciting ways soldiers can dream up to break them.

The Army is gearing up for another round of testing next month, and at the DSEi trade show in London this morning I found about one particular platform that’s heading down to Georgia: Lockheed Martin’s Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), the unmanned load carrying ground robot that the Army is sending to Afghanistan this fall for an assessment by soldiers in the field. But there’s a twist. Since the Army has been testing the platform for years already, Lockheed is sticking one of their Gyrocams on the back of it in order to transform the robotic pack mule into an unmanned surveillance system.

The company’s Morri Leland told me that the cam—which has been deployed mounted to manned trucks for years by the U.S. Army and others—can be programmed to drive to a position and stop, or remotely operated to a fixed position, flip on the cam, and operate for as long as the vehicle’s engine supplies power. If the engine were turned off, the Gyroscope could operate for hours on a single battery. (One battery lasts about 4-5 hours, but the SMSS can carry multiple batteries.) Or, if a solar “blanket” was attached, the system could recharge its batteries during the day and then run all night. The Gyrocam comes equipped with a GPS and a laser range finder, so the position and location of any possible targets can be plotted, and it has day/night and thermal cameras. And then there’s the coolest part: The Jordanian security forces have been able to send the feed from the camera to their iPhones, allowing them to move in on a suspect that they’re watching on their phones in real time.

Earlier this year I got a peek at some of the robots that the Army is sending to Benning, and they include the Armadillo, a 5.5 lb. “throwbot” made by MacroUSA. Built to be tossed into rooms and over walls—sound familiar?—the bot can withstand 2.5 meter drops onto concrete or 8 meter horizontal throws, and comes with 5 full color day/night cameras with 4x digital zoom. It can also operate about 300 meters in line-of-sight range, and 200 meters non-line-of-sight. AEWE will also test what AEWE Project Officer Michael Wadsworth called a “tactical throwing camera,” another MacroUSA product that weighs in at a svelte 1.5 lb., and stands at about 5 in. wide, 5 in. long and 2 in. tall, and has 2 cameras. It’ll be interesting to hear what comes out of this mishmash of technology once the soldiers are done dragging them through the mud.

[buglerbilly]

USMC progresses with MTVR tests

26 October 2011 - 10:04 by Andrew White



The US Naval Surface Warfare Center (NAVSEA) has completed a second Limited Technical Assessment (LTA) of Oshkosh’s Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) unmanned system.

The nine-day assessment, part of NAVSEA’s Cargo UGV programme, was conducted at Oshkosh’s Gaskill test centre near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It involved six marines and the operation of a single operator control unit (OCU) and MTVR.

According to Oshkosh’s chief engineer for unmanned systems, John Beck, the LTA went ‘extremely well’, with all marines taking to the system ‘quite readily’.

Tests involved a series of scenarios ranging from 30 to 90 minutes in duration as well as having the MTVR lead, and follow, a convoy of manned vehicles. Tests started with basic applications and rolled into more complex scenarios as the week progressed, Beck told Shephard.

Following the LTA, Capt Warren Watts of the Cargo UGV project office, described a requirement to improve the night driving capability of the vehicle. ‘We could use improvements in situational cameras and for tele-operation. Basically, today we use daytime cameras but some can be changed [to night vision] to improve operation at night.’

Describing how all but one of the participating marines were Afghanistan or Iraq veterans, Watts added that troops were still ‘thinking of new and different ways to use the system and how they would field the technology if they had it in theatre’.

Referring again to current operations, Watts said the marines believed the MTVR would be ‘of value as technology progresses’, but stressed that there were currently no plans to deploy the system. However, he added: ‘They think it should be fielded eventually.’

Meanwhile, parts have already been ordered to manufacture a second MTVR which could be operational by May next year. This, according to Beck, would allow two vehicles to be operated from a single OCU.

Looking ahead, a third LTA is schedule for Q3 in 2012 followed by a Limited Objective Experiment by the end of the year at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Currently, MTVR comprises one or two LIDAR systems; six EO/IR cameras for 180-degree coverage of obstacle classification; as well as short, medium and long range radars. The US Navy is looking for a Cargo UGV to be able to deliver approximately six tonnes of supplies including water, ammunition and food.

[buglerbilly]

Amstaf Robot Expands Capabilities as Tactical Support UGV

tamir_eshelOctober 31, 2011 20:230


Amstaf Combat Support eight weel UGV mounting the Rafael Mini Samson Remotely Controlled weapon Station. Photo: Tamir Eshel, Defense update

A new robot at the show is new weaponized version of the Amstaf from Automotive Robotic Industries (ARI). The company has already displayed the security guard version in the past, and the system is currently being evaluated for airport security missions. Amstaf on Guard provides a robotic, autonomous platform that can be configured with mission specific sensors, supporting perimeter defense elements such as a smart fens, radar and motion detection systems. Other Amstaf configurations may include CBRNE, fire and EOD sensors and neutralizers as part of their payloads. The vehicle has already been operated patrolling the area south of the demilitarized zone in South Korea, where a patrol version using a telescopic mast was recently fielded.

The combat support vehicle represents ARI’s concept of a vehicle combining the fire support and load carrying platform (mule), supporting dismounted infantry teams. “Amstaf provides an effective and versatile autonomous platform that can assume different roles in support of military and special operations units” said Amos Goren, founder of ARI. “Fitted with a remote weapon system and sensors, it can be used as an unmanned forward watch or pathfinder, replacing today’s manned vehicles and scouts. The same platform can be reconfigured in the field to carry supplies supporting dismounted teams, carry and launch guided weapons or transport wounded soldiers to safety, without risking the lives of more soldiers.” Goren added. Guidance and control of tactical robots will be performed using a Toughbook laptop computer or wrist-mounted controller, with the Amstaf understanding basic commands like ‘halt!’, ‘follow me’, for simple coordination with dismounted teams. When operating as observation outposts or mobile forward watch, the robot could be operated from fully equipped control systems already developed for the Amstaf On Guard system, enabling maximum flexibility and functionality.

Amstaf on Guard is built to sustain up to 24 hours continuous duty cycles, with the combat support version supporting continuous missions of six hours offering quiet, stealthy operation. The vehicle has an integrated generator supplying 2.5KVA for 24 hour mission. When extended quiet missions are required a quick charge is needed, an external quick charger can top up the batteries for extra four hours in just 15 minutes. The vehicle weighs 900 kg and carries 850 kg plus one ton tow capability. the vehicle has a maximum speed of 32 km/h on land and 5 km/h swimming.

[buglerbilly]

Army Still Looking at Robo Mules



I just posted a story on Military​.com today about how the Army hasn’t given up on its hope that unmanned vehicles will one day carry extra beans and bullets for soldiers on the move.

Infantry officials at Fort Benning, Ga., recently tested unmanned all-terrain vehicle prototypes, made by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, at the Army Expeditionary Warfighting Experiment. Infantry officials maintain that soldiers still carry too much combat kit into battle, so the hope is these six-wheeled robomules will carry extra bullets, water and grenades so soldiers don’t have to hump them.

The Army played around with this concept as part of its failed Future Combat Systems program. The service killed two versions of the Multifunction Utility Logistics Equipment vehicle — the MULE-Transport and MULE-Countermine vehicles in late 2009 — but tried to save the sexy Armed Robotic Vehicle — Assault –Light, a version of the MULE made by Lockheed Martin that was armed with a M240 machine gun and Javelin missiles, big surprise. The Army killed that too when it didn’t have the mobility the service wanted.

Still, infantry officials still want to find a way to carry heavy combat kit other than piling it on soldiers’ backs.

One of the vehicles evaluated was Lockheed Martin’s Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), the same prototype the Army plans to send to Afghanistan soon for a limited war-zone evaluation, as we reported here. The 11-foot long SMSS can carry 1,200 pounds of supplies.

The other robotic mule tested in the AEWE was Northrop Grumman’s Carry-all Mechanized Equipment Landrover, or CaMEL. It’s about half the length of the SMSS and can carry about 1,000 pounds.

There’s still a lot of unanswered questions — like how the military will keep these supply-laden bots from falling into enemy hands.

Hopefully, the Army can figure it out while the grunts still have to hump all over Afghanistan’s unforgiving terrain.

– Matt Cox.

Read more: http://defensetech.org/2011/11/16/army-still-looking-at-robo-mules/#ixzz1dukoNYfr
Defense.org

[buglerbilly]

New Humvee Drone Not Ready For Prime Time

By Carlo Munoz

Published: November 21, 2011



WHITE SANDS, NM: Parked out on the dusty plains of the New Mexican desert, the Army Humvee looked like every other combat truck stationed at the service's sprawling test facility here -- except for one big difference. This Humvee was completely unmanned.

The vehicle was one of two Humvee being tested under the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization's "Ghost Ship" program. The Ghost Ship is essentially a command and control kit that allows "complete remote operation of the vehicle by an operator," in a separate vehicle, according to a JIEDDO document. Troops from the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division were testing two Ghost Ship Humvees and two control trucks as part the Army's latest network integration exercise here Pfc. Antonio DeAnda said. They have been able to control the Humvee drones from up to a mile and-a-half away, according to DeAnda. But program officials have been keeping the control trucks within a few hundred meters of the Humvee drones during most of the tests, he added.

But the Ghost Ship is far from being ready for prime time, Spc. Jose Garcia said. Garcia was driving one of the unmanned Humvees from a control vehicle on the range. One of the major flaws in the system is the fixed position of the cameras used to navigate the Humvee drone, Garcia said. The limited view of the camera leaves a number of blind spots for the Ghost Ship driver, according to Garcia. Enemy forces can exploit those blind spots to take out the Humvee drone before the driver can react. Service testers considered mounting the cameras on a modified version of the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, DeAnda added. A CROWS system would give Ghost Ship drivers a full range of view when controlling the drone. Matt Way, JIEDDO's program integrator for the Ghost Ship, could not say if the Army had completely abandoned the idea of using CROWS for the system.

The system also needs a global positioning system to be truly effective in the field, Garcia said. Ghost Ship drivers currently use basic grid coordinates on a map to navigate the Humvee drone, according to Garcia. But drivers will need the precision of a GPS guidance system to move the drone through the complicated and difficult terrain in Afghanistan.

One feature that was a hit with Garcia and DeAnda were the bomb-detecting "rollers' attached to the rear of the unmanned Humvee. The rollers are similar to those used on the Army's Buffalo Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, according to DeAnda. The heavily-armored Buffalo MRAPs are one of the Army's main tools to sweep roadways of IEDs. The Army plans to use the Ghost Ship and Buffalo in tandem to do route clearance missions in Afghanistan, DeAnda said.

Way declined to comment on specific Ghost Ship capabilities or whether they would be teamed with Buffalos. He did note the Ghost Ship was a spin-off of another JIEDDO program using unmanned ground drones to detect IEDs. The Ghost Ship's predecessor did see action in Iraq and was used to help build the Ghost Ship system being tested here, Way said.

The post-testing reports coming from soliders like DeAnda and Garcia will be invaluable to JIEDDO as they fine tune the Ghost Ship program, Way said. "We are still kind of crawling with this," in terms of capabilities being planned for the Ghost Ship. Those reports and recommendations could help get the Ghost Ship into the field faster, Way added.

The Ghost Ship program comes as the Army is considering eliminating thousands of Humvees from its arsenal. Service officials are putting together plans to trim a majority of its 144,000 light tactical combat trucks down to just over 50,000. That force will consist mostly of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles supplemented by all-terrain versions of the MRAP and a handful of upgraded Humvees.

[buglerbilly]

TORC Robotics awarded UGV contract

19 January 2012 - 17:31 by the Shephard News Team



TORC Robotics has announced that it has been issued a contract by the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) to develop an advanced sensor fusion system for the US Department of Defense (DOD). The system will significantly increase high-speed obstacle detection range, opening up new possibilities for deploying autonomous vehicles for missions that demand navigating at higher speeds in unstructured environments.

According to the company, this long-range obstacle detection, classification and prediction system will enhance autonomous navigation capabilities for unmanned ground vehicles operating in mission-relevant environments at speeds up to 100 KPH. The system will be capable of detecting and maintaining a variety of tracking statistics for each obstacle. TORC will incorporate these enhanced capabilities with its core autonomy framework for future availability in its AutonoNav product line.

To support integration with the project sponsor’s autonomy framework, TORC will develop an Application Programming Interface (API) for the advanced sensor fusion software, and build a hardware prototype capable of installation on a range of vehicles including the HMMWV and LMTV. The system fuses asynchronous and heterogeneous sensor modalities through a joint probabilistic data association approach to reduce false positive/negative data, which is essential to high-speed autonomous navigation. TORC will achieve long-range detection and classification through a combination of commercial-off-the-shelf LIDAR, radar and vision technologies from Ibeo, Velodyne, and Smartmicro. TORC will assess sensor and fusion performance at high-speed under a variety of man-made weather conditions to include rain, dense fog and snow at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) Smart Road.

TORC will leverage software initially conceptualized under a DARPA SBIR now under further research on the RTC Sensor-based Collision Prediction project. This project provides the software architecture and obstacle prediction capabilities that TORC will extend to meet the requirements for this project. The primary research platform for this project is the ByWire XGV, a drive-by-wire controlled ground robotics vehicle.

[buglerbilly]

Darpa’s Legged Squad Support System (LS3) to Lighten Troops’ Load

(Source: DARPA; issued February 7, 2012)


The robotic mule is to demonstrate whether it can carry a 400-lb load over 20 miles in 24 hours on its internal fuel; it is also incredibly noisy. (Darpa photo)

Jeez, I hope its quieter than the attached video in real life...............:doh

Prototype robotic “pack mule” stands up, lies down and follows leader carrying 400 lbs. of squad’s gear

Today’s dismounted warfighter can be saddled with more than 100 pounds of gear, resulting in physical strain, fatigue and degraded performance. Reducing the load on dismounted warfighters has become a major point of emphasis for defense research and development, because the increasing weight of individual equipment has a negative impact on warfighter readiness.

The Army has identified physical overburden as one of its top five science and technology challenges. To help alleviate physical weight on troops, DARPA is developing a highly mobile, semi-autonomous legged robot, the Legged Squad Support System (LS3), to integrate with a squad of Marines or Soldiers.

Recently the LS3 prototype underwent its first outdoor exercise, demonstrating the ability to follow a person using its “eyes”—sensors that allow the robot to distinguish between trees, rocks, terrain obstacles and people. Over the course of the next 18 months, DARPA plans to complete development of and refine key capabilities to ensure LS3 is able to support dismounted squads of warfighters.

Features to be tested and validated include the ability to carry 400lbs on a 20-mile trek in 24-hours without being refueled, and refinement of LS3’s vision sensors to track a specific individual or object, observe obstacles in its path and to autonomously make course corrections as needed. Also planned is the addition of “hearing” technology, enabling squad members to speak commands to LS3 such as “stop,” “sit” or “come here.” The robot also serves as a mobile auxiliary power source— troops may recharge batteries for radios and handheld devices while on patrol.

DARPA seeks to demonstrate that an LS3 can carry a considerable load from dismounted squad members, follow them through rugged terrain and interact with them in a natural way, similar to the way a trained animal and its handler interact.



Uploaded by DARPAtv on Feb 6, 2012

Today's dismounted warfighter can be saddled with more than 100 pounds of gear, resulting in physical strain, fatigue, and degraded performance. To help alleviate the impact of excess weight on troops, DARPA is developing a highly mobile, semi-autonomous four-legged robot, the Legged Squad Support System (LS3). LS3 includes onboard sensors to perceive obstacles in its environment and path-planning capabilities to avoid them. The LS3 platform is designed with the squad in mind and is therefore significantly quieter, faster and has a much higher carrying capacity for longer mission durations than DARPA's earlier mobility technology demonstrator BigDog. The LS3 prototype recently completed its first outdoor assessment, demonstrating mobility by climbing and descending a hill and exercising its perception and autonomous follow-the-leader capabilities.

“If successful, this could provide real value to a squad while addressing the military’s concern for unburdening troops,” said Army Lt. Col. Joe Hitt, DARPA program manager. “LS3 seeks to have the responsiveness of a trained animal and the carrying capacity of a mule.”

The 18-month platform-refinement test cycle, with Marine and Army involvement, kicks off this summer. The tests culminate in a planned capstone exercise where LS3 will embed with Marines conducting field exercises.

LS3 is based on mobility technology advanced by DARPA’s Big Dog technology demonstrator, as well other DARPA robotics programs which developed the perception technology for LS3’s “eyes” and planned “ears.”

The DARPA LS3 performer is Boston Dynamics of Waltham, Mass.

-ends-

[ARH v.3.1]

They should put a grenade launcher and a loud speaker denouncing Allah on it and send it after the Taliban.

[buglerbilly]

Robot Communications Go Underground

Analysis by Jesse Emspak

Fri Feb 10, 2012 09:09 AM ET



Robots are becoming more important to search and rescue operations. But the way they communicate with their operators is not always best. Most robots have to use high-frequency radio or a tethered cord for this function. The former is great for transmitting lots of data like video, but doesn't transmit well through underground locations or heaps of rubble and steel. Tethers don't suffer interference but the person operating the robot has to be careful the cord doesn't get damaged.

WFS Defense and Allen-Vanguard, two British companies, said they will jointly develop a robot that communicates better using low-frequency signals, in a project called Wireless Underground Robots for First Responders (WURFR).

Low-frequency signals, which are already used to communicate with submarines because they can pass through water, move well through materials that would block a high-frequency Bluetooth or cell phone transmitter. And because rescue operations don't necessarily require high-def video, the researchers used the low frequency signals to transmit video at about five frames per second. In this case, it was applied to rescue robots.

The robot can also act as a repeater for underground voice communications.

There is one limitation pertinent to urban settings. The robot can hear signals at 100 meters or more in a radio-quiet place, such as a tunnel in a rural area. But a subway tunnel, for example, has a lot of electricity running through wires and the rails. That can interfere with the signal and reduce its effective ranges to 30 meters.

But even with that it's a great example of updating an old method with new technology -- and making life a little easier for the men and women who are first on the scene in a disaster.

Image: United States Navy