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Future Robotic Combat Systems

John — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:39:51 +0000

Robots in warfare are not the stuff of science fiction and Terminator movies anymore. They are not even the stuff of the near future, as the success of the Hellfire missile-armed Predator Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) has shown in Afghanistan.

The first generation of combat robots is already with us, which means that from here on out they are only going to become more and more capable. A key program in creating the next generation of military robots is the US Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, which has several examples of what is expected from these robots.

The US Army is limited by law in the kinds of UAVs they are allowed to work with. True high flying drones like the Predator and its future successors are the province of other services. However, they are doing the best they can within regulations, and an example of this is the Class I UAV. This is a 50 pound hovercraft designed to be carried around in two backpacks.

Once deployed, the robot will travel around the battlefield, lingering where necessary, providing valuable surveillance and target acquisition. It comes with a laser designator, allowing it to both provide coordinates for GPS-guided bombs and to direct laser-guided missiles and bombs to their targets. A step up from the Class I UAV is the Class IV Fire Scout, which is essentially a small UAV helicopter with a payload of 130 pounds. The US Navy is also intending to make use of their own version of the Fire Scout.

On the ground, the Army plans to lighten the load of the solider (or at least use something handier than a truck) by introducing the MULE, a 2.5 ton robot that can serve either as a tough robotic cargo-hauler, or as a combat support vehicle. In the latter role, the MULE is refitted into the ARV, or Armed Robotic Vehicle. This fighting drone combines the usual surveillance and target acquisition functions with a punch, carrying a turret armed with Javelin anti-tank missiles and a 7.62mm machinegun. The MULE’s bigger cousin in the Crusher, a 6.5 ton robotic platform with similar functions.

The smallest of the FCS robots is SUGV, a version of iRobot’s versatile Packbot. This little robot on treads weighs less than 30 pounds regardless of its payload, and thus can be readily toted around by any solider in a regular backpack. This small robot is a natural for urban combat, being small enough to be sent down into ducts, tunnels and sewers, granting it access to routes a human solider could never use. Its 6 pound payload capacity allows it to be fitted with a variety of sensors for surveillance and target acquisition, as well as chemical detection. This is handy robot is the kind of tool that can be deployed right down to even the squad level.

These robots are all examples of the next generation of military robotics. Autonomous and fully independent robotic warriors are still the stuff of science fiction. However, that does not mean the robots under development with FCS are not a major step forward in technology and design purpose. What separates these FCS machines from the first examples of militarized robots is that they are integrated into US Army’s operations down to the lowest level.

This intention often makes a bigger difference to battlefield outcomes than the actual technology. After all, France had more and better tanks in 1940, but it was Germany who put them to the best use. There is nothing improvised about these robots or their role, which was sometimes the case with the previous generation of military robots, and was definitely the case for early armed robots. The US Army of the future will have robots, included armed scouts, doing jobs that will minimize the risk to soldier’s lives at all levels of battlefield operations.

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio

John — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:33:34 +0000

Microsoft's Robotics Platform

Have you overheard people talking about Microsoft’s Robotics Platform and perhaps you’re wondering what all the excitement is about? Maybe you’ve read a little bit about it already and you’re currently seeking more information. No problem! I’ll be more than happy to explain it to you.

In 2006, Microsoft released a software program that was at that time known as Microsoft Robotics Studio. They decided to do this when they realized that the robotics communities were in need of a program that would offer a mature platform as well as a toolset that would provide both stability and portability. One great benefit of this was that it allowed more people to participate in and consequently contribute to robotics projects.

A few years down the road, Microsoft then released a preview version of its Robotics Developer Studio 2008. This newest version contains several improvements including a feature that allows users to record simulation tests which can then be played back at a later time for review.

It also offers a new floor-plan editor as well as many other tools that weren’t available in the 2006 version. Microsoft’s Visual Programming Language has been designed to make it very easy for anyone to easily create and debug robotics programs, even if they are non-programmers.

In fact, all you need to do is drag and drop blocks that are representative of various services and then connect them. It also has the capacity to take a group of blocks and then reuse them as a single block at other places in the program. MVPL distinguishes itself from other Microsoft Programming Languages like Visual Basic.

It does this by being the only Microsoft language that is truly a visual programming language. With this program, you can create applications that allow remote monitoring and control of a robot, which is done through the use of a web browser.

Also, their Decentralized Software Services (DSS) feature makes it simple to be able to gain access as well as respond to a particular robot’s state. This is again done through the use of either a web browser or a Windows based application.

If you’d like to give this program a try, it’s currently available in three editions. You can download the express edition for free, and a standard edition and the academic edition are also available. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope that you’ve found it to both interesting and informative.

MITRE immersive spherical vision system

John — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:50:30 +0000

Immersive vision systems for teleoperation are a valuable tool for many applications including inspections of old buildings, pipelines and sewages, search and rescue, and military, i.e., detection and neutralization of roadside bombs. Immersive systems work by presenting a virtual representation of the world seen via a camera that is situated away from the operator (note: I use the term virtual representation of the world liberally here because what the operator sees is actually images of the real world captured by a remote camera; I call it virtual because a explained later these images arrive delayed which means that the real world may have change since the data was collected.)