USMC MAARS Experimental Robot
Pentagon looking to give reconnaissance robots birds-like legs
The U.S. military is looking for technologies which will allow robots to land on the side of a wall, perch there for a while, and then take back off into air again; the push for animal-like legs is just a small part of a broader military effort to build small robots inspired by– and in some cases, melded with — birds and bugs
Stanford University researchers have already figured out how to build a drone that can land on the side of a wall, perch there for a while, and then take back off into air again. The Pentagon would like to make its robotic aircraft even more bird-like. The military recently handed out three contracts to design legs that will let these “micro air vehicles” hang onto a branch in high winds, and run around on the ground if need be. The question is whether these Pentagon-backed firms can top Stanford’s already-impressive results.
Noah Shachtman writes that the Stanford robot uses “miniature spines” as talons that grab onto a wall. Biorobots, LLC will use its Defense Department contract to give its robo-bird four legs with Stanford spines. The legs “will enable the MAV to crawl around the perch to reposition/reorient the on-board sensors for an optimal view of the target,” according to a Pentagon project summary. “The tail feet will provide the primary braking force on landing, eliminating the MAV [micro air vehicle] tendency to pitch forward on landing. The front feet will cushion the landing and provide locomotion about the perch.” If they can make thing work, it’ll “significantly enhance our military and intelligence personnel’s ability to execute persistent surveillance.”
Manhunting cops could benefit, too. ”During the search, multiple… MAVs could be deployed and land on various structures throughout the search area. Even after the law enforcement personnel seem to call off the search, the MAVs would remain on their perches, keeping watch for the criminal/fugitive.”
Shachtman notes that the push for animal-like legs is just a small part of a broader military effort to build small robots inspired by— and in some cases, melded with — birds and bugs. Military-backed researchers have built a teensy drone that floats like a hummingbird and even flown a cyborg beetle. The Air Force Research Laboratory is hoping to have its flock of drones ready to go by 2015.
Source:
http://homelandsecuritynewswire.com/pentagon-looking-give-reconnaissance-robots-birds-legs
ROBOTİK MERAKLILARI İTÜ’DE BİR ARAYA GELİYOR
İTÜRO’10 kayıtları devam ederken organizasyon için geri sayım başlıyor..!
Bu yıl dördüncüsü düzenlenen İTÜ Robot Olimpiyatları, 15-16-17 Nisan 2010 tarihlerinde İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Ayazağa Yerleşkesi’nde bulunan Süleyman Demirel Kültür Merkezi’nde gerçekleşecek.
Her yıl olduğu gibi bu yıl da farklı kategorilerde yarışmaların, ilgi çekici, yenilikçi seminerlerin ve söyleşilerin yer alacağı, birbirinden ilginç robotların sergileneceği, kısacası katılımcıların robotiğe doyacağı dolu dolu üç gün robotik meraklılarını bekliyor olacak.
Türkiye’de öğrenci düzeyinde robotik eğitiminin önemini ve verimini sorgulayan, dünyada olağanüstü hızda gelişme gösteren robotik alanında Türkiye’nin gücünü artırmayı hedefleyen İTÜRO ‘10’da yarışmacılar, Mini Sumo, Basit Çizgi İzleyen, Gelişmiş Çizgi İzleyen, Süpürge, Yangın Söndüren, Kendini Dengeleyen Robot ve Serbest Kategori başlıklarında yarışacaklar. www.ituro.org adresinden yapılabilecek yarışma kayıtları için son tarih 5 Nisan 2010.
The US National Robotics Week
A couple of days late but…
The first annual National Robotics Week is April 10-18, 2010.
The purpose of National Robotics Week is to:
- Celebrate the US as a leader in robotics technology development
- Educate the public about how robotics technology impacts society, both now and in the future
- Advocate for increased funding for robotics technology research and development
- Inspire students of all ages to pursue careers in robotics and other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math-related fields
Why is robotics important?
- Robotics technology is a growing industry which creates high-tech jobs in the US
- Robotics technologies are helping to improve healthcare, national defense, homeland security, energy, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, agriculture, education, consumer goods, and many other sectors
- Robotics provides an exciting, hands-on way for students to learn Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
Webpage: www.nationalroboticsweek.org
Northrop Grumman Launches Next Generation of Wheelbarrow Bomb Disposal Vehicle
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has launched the latest enhanced version of its industry-leading Wheelbarrow unmanned ground vehicle for the remote handling and surveillance of hazardous threats. The Wheelbarrow Mk9 vehicle, designed, developed and manufactured by Northrop Grumman in the UK, includes significant advances in technology and performance and a range of new features that will improve its capabilities for both civil security and defence applications.
The Wheelbarrow Mk9 will be on display in Northrop Grumman’s exhibit at Counter Terror Expo, the international exhibition and conference dedicated to addressing the continuing worldwide threat from terrorism. Counter Terror Expo takes place at the National Hall, Olympia, London from 14-15 April.
“We are continually developing and expanding our products and their capabilities to meet the evolving needs of our military and civil security customers in detecting and disposing of improvised explosive devices and handling hazardous threats,” said Kevin Rooney, managing director Unmanned Ground Vehicles for Northrop Grumman’s Information Systems sector in Europe. “This latest design of our well proven Wheelbarrow vehicle combines greater speed, mobility, exceptional payload and reach capabilities with the latest control, communications and camera specifications to offer unsurpassed performance.”
Key features of the Wheelbarrow Mk9 include: digital communications for improved quality and greater security; enhanced user-friendly command console with touch-screen facility and joystick control; wireless hand controller for local remote control and; greater functionality including preset positions. The vehicle also has a dedicated separate data channel for additional sensor integration. Its performance characteristics rank it among the most capable vehicles available in its class: it can climb a 45-degree stairway; has a modular telescopic arm with 7-degrees of freedom and a maximum reach of more than 6m; a maximum speed of 5km/hour; and a lift capacity of 150kg.
Wheelbarrow is one of the most capable and reliable unmanned ground vehicles in its class available today and has a proven record of success. It is recognised as the benchmark vehicle for remote disposal of improvised explosive devices and is product of choice for users around the world. Wheelbarrow was first used by British Army bomb disposal teams in the 1970s and since then it has gone through a number of design upgrades to extend capabilities and meet changing needs.
Northrop Grumman is the sole supplier to the UK MoD for this size of vehicle and is a partner to Police and military user organisations world-wide. The company has more than 2,000 unmanned ground vehicles in operation around the world.
Northrop Grumman’s unmanned ground vehicle business has been established in Coventry for more than 20-years. Today the company designs, develops and manufactures some of the most capable and reliable unmanned ground vehicles available, from the Wheelbarrow bomb disposal robot to CUTLASS, the latest vehicle for hazardous operations in development for the MoD. Its wide range of vehicles can be configured according to the operational requirements of the user including explosive ordnance disposal, ground surveillance, hazardous material and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) missions. The vehicles are capable of full integration with command control system applications.
Northrop Grumman in the UK operates from a number of locations providing avionics, communications, electronic warfare systems, marine navigation systems, robotics, C4ISR solutions and mission planning, airport security, aircraft whole life support, IT systems and software development.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Northrop Grumman Corporation
