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Previous Experience and Unmanned Systems Programs
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Concept drawing of final product.
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Sensor Stabilization & Manipulation
Platform
Customer: The Technology Collaborative
Under a state grant provide by The Technology Collaborative
(TTC), re 
built a small light-weight, low-cost stabilization and manipulation
platform which underwent testing on a small unmanned air
vehicle. Through a follow-on program with Kuchera Defense
Systems (KDS) and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC
Crane), re
is commercializing the platform. The SSP differs from other
small stabilization platforms in that it is a generic platform
which can stabilize a multitude of sensors through a JAUS-compliant
interface. The SSP is currently in the prototyping phase.
Gladiator Tactical Unmanned Ground Vehicle (TUGV)
Customer: US Marine Corps and Robotic Systems Joint
Project Office
re
is partnered with BAE Systems and the National Robotics
Engineering Center (NREC) on the Gladiator Tactical Unmanned
Ground Vehicle (TUGV) program with the Marines and the
Robotics Systems Joint Project Office. Under Phase I,
re
provided proof-of-concept prototypes. During Phase II,
re
was responsible for all of the vehicle electronics and
JAUS-based control software. During the System Design
and Development (SDD) Phase, re
continues to provide the JAUS-based control software for
the vehicle, including teleoperation, waypoint following,
and weapon control.
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FCS Organic Air
Vehicle (OAV)
Customer: Future Combat Systems
re
is partnered with Honeywell and Carnegie Mellon University
on the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Organic Air Vehicle (OAV)
program. The OAV will be a Class II air platform that can
move with and be deployed at the platoon level. re
is responsible for providing the surrogate air platform,
based on a Yamaha Rmax helicopter, as the final air platform,
a ducted fan system, continues to be designed. re
also aids in testing of the collision avoidance system,
which focuses on detecting and avoiding wires (e.g. powerlines).
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Dragon Runner™
Customer: Marine Corps
re
was contracted by the National Robotics Engineering Center
(NREC) to design and implement the software system for Dragon
Runner, a program funded by the Marines Corps Warfighting
Laboratory (MCWL). Dragon Runner is a light-weight small
UGV used for reconnaissance, keeping Marines away from danger.
There are three components of the Dragon Runner: 1) the
14-lb vehicle, 2) a communications backpack, and 3) a handheld
OCU. re
was responsible for the software design and implementation
for all three components. Dragon Runner is currently undergoing
testing in Iraq.
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PerceptOR
Customer: DARPA
re participated
on the Perception for Off-Road Mobility (PerceptOR) program,
a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) funded
program, to push the envelope of autonomous navigation on
unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). This competitive program
started with 5 teams, but at the end of the three-year program,
only the NREC/re
team was involved in the program's third phase of intensive
field testing. Under this program, RE2 provided highly mobile
semi-autonomous UGV platforms. The base re
vehicle would maintain the commanded speed regardless of terrain
fluctuations.re
has commercialized the PerceptOR UGV platform as a test system
for research and development initiatives (SHERPA).
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Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle (UGCV)
Customer: DARPA
re was partnered
with the NREC to build an Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle (UGCV)
for DARPA. re
provided software, electrical, and mechanical engineering
support for the first-generation vehicle, Spinner, and the
second-generation vehicle, Crusher.
UPI
Customer: DARPA
re continues
to work with Carnegie Mellon on the UGCV-PerceptOR Integrated
(UPI) Program. Under the program, the brain of PerceptOR and
the brawn of UGCV are integrated to provide a rugged all-terrain
autonomous vehicle. re
provides robotics engineering services for many aspects of
the vehicle, including vehicle payloads, electro-mechanical
modifications, and autonomous navigation software integration.
Electro-Optic Sensor Evaluation for Unmanned Vehicles
Customer: National Center for Defense Robotics and
The Penn State Electro-Optics Center
Through a grant from the National Center for Defense Robotics
(NCDR), part of The Technology Collaborative (TTC), re
was contracted by the Penn State Electro-Optics Center (EOC)
to perform an in-depth analysis of electro-optic sensors for
unmanned systems. As a result of this work, the Penn State
Electro-Optics Center (EOC) is in the process of setting up
a facility for testing electro-optics for Unmanned Air Vehicles
(UAVs).
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Advanced Robotic Controller
Customer: US Army's Rapid Equipping Force
re
provided an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) for the Advanced Robotic
Controller (ARC) program under the US Army's Rapid Equipping Force
(REF). re
partnered with Exponent, Inc. and Carnegie Mellon University to
provide a ground vehicle system, which could be manually operated,
teleoperated, or autonomously follow waypoints, avoiding obstacles.
The system also offered leader-follower capabilities. The ARC
vehicle was later commercialized and is now offered as a test
platform (SHERPA
DM) which offers both manual and computer control.
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