Mil Tech — Next Wave of Battlefield Robots Being Developed
Apr 28 2008
In the not-too-distant future, it might be battlefield robots, not humans, that recon hostile territory, engage the enemy, disable improvised explosive devices, and even care for the wounded.
Unmanned aircraft and some robots already have been deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, performing functions once done only by humans. And continuing research and development at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Command center in San Diego is enhancing the effectiveness of the next generation of robots.
“Our lab is trying to give UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles) autonomy to make them smarter so they require much less oversight from the human operator,” says Bart Everett, SPAWAR’s technical director of robotics.
Current UGVs are tele-operated, meaning a human operator controls them. But according to Everett, smarter robots that don’t need to be controlled at that level would open up applications where humans could be removed from a dangerous area.
“In a scenario where we’re putting man-portable robots out there, we have another challenge in that they’re moving around and everything changes every time they relocate,” Everett says. “And because they’re small, lightweight, and battery operated, you can’t put a lot of sensors and computers on them.”
According to the Army’s Future Combat Systems initiative, other robot projects include:
• a small robot, RHex, that can walk, climb stairs, and swim, using six legs;
• a hand-launched surveillance aircraft called the WASP, with a 16-inch wingspan and weighing a half-pound. It carries two color cameras;
• the RISE robot that climbs up walls and trees; and
• a quadruped robot called Big Dog that can carry up to 200 pounds and negotiate all kinds of terrain.
While contractors are quickly working to get the next generation of robots into the field, actual development and testing takes time. But with smaller, faster computers, tiny cameras, and very small sensors, robots will become much more autonomous in the future, Everett predicts.
“It’s really hard to make small robots do that much now because you’re so limited by space and power,” Everett says. “And if you make it small enough to be man-portable, you may make it too small to climb over the stuff they’re typically going to encounter.”
However, he says, by using a type of mobility that enables the robot to climb or jump, instead of drive on wheels or tracks, maneuverability becomes a huge benefit.
“A good example is a police dog and its handler where the dog can go into smaller places, jump over things, and run faster than the human,” Everett says. “So the next stage in terms of mobility is possibly legged locomotion for more maneuverability, or even innovative propulsion systems, like snake robots.”
About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz. freelance writer who works in a wide variety of fields, writing for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He’s also the author of the historical mystery, Full Moon (JoNa Books, 2005).
