High Speed Inspection Robot with Manipulator Arm
Customer: US Army
Phase II SBIR

re, Inc. has been awarded a Phase II SBIR program by the U.S. Army to further develop a small, high-speed, highly maneuverable unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with a manipulator arm.

Existing small UGV platforms range from fast reconnaissance vehicles with simple payloads to slower EOD vehicles with limited mobility and complex manipulators. The goal of the High Speed Inspection Robot (HSIR) program is to bridge the gap between the two by developing a fast, agile UGV with a manipulator arm.

During the 18-month Phase II SBIR, RE2 will develop and demonstrate a small high-speed inspection robot with a manipulator arm. The specifics of the Phase II program include:

• Create a prototype of the HSIR platform;
• Integrate the HSIR with a JAUS-based Operator Control Unit (OCU);
• Integrate a plug-n-play manipulator arm;
• Test the HSIR with soldier operators in outdoor environments.

Dexterous Manipulation System
Customer: US Navy/NAVEODTECHDIV
Phase II SBIR

The goal of this SBIR program is to develop a dexterous manipulation system that can grip a blasting cap or wire protruding from a target and remove the item by pulling straight back, without moving the robot base or damaging the item griped. The system should also be able to pick up a wire or blasting cap from the ground. Robotic control for these tasks must be accomplished by either a human operator
viewing the scene remotely and controlling the manipulator, an autonomous controller, or some combination of the two.

During the eighteen--month Phase II, RE2 will do the following:

• Develop and fabricate a practical prototype of a high degree-of-freedom dexterous manipulator for EOD and other missions requiring fine manipulation capabilities;
  
• Improve the situational awareness of the operator when controlling the dexterous manipulator from a remote, non-line-of-sight, location;
  
• Develop intelligent control strategies to allow the user to easily command the manipulator that improves upon the current method of primitive joint-by-joint control;
  
• Develop advanced sensor feedback capabilities, including force and tactile feedback, to assist the operator with delicate operations.

Robotic Nursing Assistant
Customer: US Army TATRC
Phase II SBIR

Phase II SBIR contract grant was awarded by the U.S. Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) to develop and fabricate a practical prototype of the Robotic Nursing Assistant.

RE2's concept combines a hospital-proven robotic platform, dexterous manipulators similar to human arms, and intuitive control interfaces to provide a practical implementation of the Robotic Nursing Assistant (RNA). The resultant RNA will serve as an extension of the nurse when performing physically challenging maneuvers such, as helping a patient sit up in bed or moving a patient from a gurney to a hospital bed.

Force Protection Robotics Manipulator Arm Integration Program
Customer: AFRL
BAA

The multi-phase Force Protection Robotics Program aims to develop automation and intelligent system technologies for use in high threat areas, expeditionary and fixed airbase support, and homeland security. The goals of the Force Protection Robotics program are to:

• Enhance security force response and situational awareness;
• Increase use and reliability of unmanned systems in hostile work environments;
• Exploit leading edge technologies to the benefit of the operators by reducing time-on-target by 50%, decreasing personnel exposure by 30%, and increasing standoff detection by 1 km.

During the initial phase of the program, RE2 will integrate its JAUS-compliant Small Robot Toolkit (SRT) manipulator arm onto a small robot platform. The manipulator arm will also be integrated with a third-party OCU. The SRT offers plug-n-play end-effector tools, such as a brute force gripper, a dexterous gripper, and a sensor tilt table, to enable the system to easily adapt to a variety of missions. The integrated system will be demonstrated in a real-world force protection environment.

Small Robot Toolkit
Customer: US Army
Commercialization Pilot Program (CPP)

During the 18-month Phase II SBIR, RE2 demonstrated an adaptive, modular Small Robot Toolkit such that the OCU can adapt to various tools, manipulators, and disposable hand controllers.

The Company is now working to commercialize the SRT and resulting technologies. To learn more, contact RE2 at info@resquared.com.