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Robots Go Spelunking

Posted by michael on from the i,-robot dept.

anakog writes "Yahoo! News runs a story about robots being used by the military in Afghanistan to search caves. The article features a few slides with pictures and comments. This seems to be the first time robots are used as tools for combat, although the article does not say if they have encountered any resistance yet. There is no mention of the manufacturer of the robots, however, I am fairly certain that they are the PackBots manufactured by IRobot. I happened to visit Real World Interface (which later merged with IRobot) a couple of years ago and saw the PackBots' predecessors, which were called Urban Robots. The company had a contract with the Department of Defence. As the name implies, the military were envisioning to use the robots to scan buildings in urban areas back then."

4 of 130 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Other features by YouTalkinToMe · · Score: 2, Informative
    From the story:

    The four, $40,000 prototypes - Hermes, Professor, Thing and Fester - can hold up to 12 cameras, a grenade launcher and a 12-gauge shotgun. The robots operate on a sensor system and by wireless desktop control. They are fitted with a Global Positioning System, and can see themselves and each other on a map, ensuring more efficient searches. They run on 2, 6-pound rechargeable batteries that run one hour each.

    So they can already carry weapons.

  2. spe�lunk�er by stux · · Score: 3, Informative

    spelunker n.

    One who explores caves chiefly as a hobby; a caver.

    [From obsolete spelunk, cave, from Middle English, from Old French spelunque, from Latin spelunca, from Greek spelunx.]

    spelunking n.

    --

    ---
    Live Long & Prosper \\//_
    CYA STUX =`B^) 'da Captain,
    Jedi & Last *-fytr
  3. Same Robot Used to Search WTC site by Mad+Man · · Score: 3, Informative

    I was at Acroname's Robo02 robotics expo in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this year.

    Lt. Colonel John Blitch (US Army, Ret.), of the Center for Robotic Assisted Search and Rescue, brought one of the Packbots that had been used in Afghanistan to the expo for his presentation on robotic search and rescue. (The robot still had Afghan dirt all over it).

    A similar model was used, and lost, during the search at the World Trade Center site. Pictures of it at the WTC can be seen at http://www.csee.usf.edu/robotics/crasar/photoGalle ry.html.

  4. That thing has good specs by Animats · · Score: 3, Informative
    400G shock resistance, waterproof to 3 meters. And mechanically simple. I'm impressed.

    It's not just a teleoperator, either. It has sonars, GPS, and a magnetic compass. It ought to be able to retrace a route it's already taken.