Recently, the above question was asked in Quora, a social media website. Below is my answer. As you will read, my primary motivation was in preventing people from forming onions based on superficial analysis and insufficient information.
Posts
Recently, there has been a bit of press about a Capabilities Advancement Demonstration of autonomous vehicles at TARDEC (Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center). My favorite headline about the demo so far is Is the U.S. developing a ROBOTIC army? (Daily Mail UK). Notice the attention-grabbing, alarm-generating capital letters for “ROBOTIC.” Read more
AMREL will be demonstrating its amazingly compact, fully rugged Slimline at ASNE Day.
See the:
- ROCKY RS11 – Lightest thinnest, rugged laptop in the world
- ROCKY DB6 – World’s smallest rugged handheld with full Windows OS
- ROCKY DF6 – Small footprint, Big connector options
- 19”/2® Rugged Network Communication Systems – 1/4 size, 100% performance
Thin has never been so tough!
Ancient Romans looked at the remains of birds to decipher the future. Modern people –specifically those in the unmanned industry – look at government roadmaps. What does the latest Department of Defense (DoD) offering tell us about our upcoming prospects?
Surprise
When AMREL did its annual review, we were surprised by one finding: there was a marked uptick in the number of people buying rugged computers for personal use. While there has always a few folks who bought rugged platforms for themselves, our traditional customer base has been overwhelmingly enterprise oriented.
Why this sudden interest in rugged computers by consumers? Should you be considering a rugged computer for yourself or your organization?
Biggest problems facing robot developers
Recently, I interviewed Rob Culver, Director of AMREL’s Business Development and Sales of Unmanned/Manned Vehicle Systems. Rob has done stints as a procurement officer, and in Special Projects Management Office at USASOC. After serving 23 years in the Army, Rob joined iRobot in 2005. He traces his lifelong interest in robotics to reading Robert A. Heinlein’s “Starship Trooper” and Douglas Adams “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.”
My sense is that unmanned systems, especially ground vehicles, are at some kind of crossroads. The technology is advancing rapidly, but the land wars are winding down. The domestic market hasn’t increased to the point to make up for the slacking demand by the Department of Defense (DOD). What do you see as the biggest challenge to the industry?
As I write, 3000 air safety inspectors have had their positions deemed “non-essential.” The Center for Disease Control’s staff for tracking food borne illnesses has been cut by more than half. Bars in Washington, D.C. are expanding hours for idle workers. From these random government-shutdown events, we can conclude that that furloughed workers are being advised: don’t fly, don’t eat strange food, stay in town, and get drunk.
What about the rest of us?
As attractive as this advice is, it is not the best strategy for people who do business with the Federal government. How should Defense vendors and other providers deal with these shutdowns?
Notice the plural “shutdowns.” There is a very good chance that by the time you read this, the Federal government shutdown will be over. However, given the logjam that characterizes modern politics, an unwelcomed repeat performance is more than possible.
A familiar cliché in autonomy research is that we want unmanned systems to be like a dog, i.e. independently capable of some tasks, but fundamentally subject to the control of a human operator. Researchers at Auburn University evidently felt “like a dog” wasn’t adequate and went for the real thing.
AMREL announces the launch of the thinnest, lightest rugged laptop on the market. Leveraging 25+ years of experience of supplying rugged computers to warfighters as well as Public Safety officers, AMREL has developed a fully rugged laptop that is just an inch thick and is so light that it can be held in one hand.
The new ROCKY DR10 8.4” and ROCKY DK10 12.1” tablets are now available for purchase. Faster, brighter, and tougher, these represent major upgrades for AMREL’s rugged tablet platform.
For the new ROCKY DR10 8.4‘’ fully rugged tablet, AMREL has added a:
- Powerful i7 processor
- Brighter display
- Improved memory
- Longer-lasting battery
Even ROCKY’s legendary ruggedness has been upgraded. Like many ROCKY products, the DR10 has been independently certified for MIL-STDs 810 & 461(military ruggedness standards), but AMREL has upped its game with an improved IP rating. ROCKY fully rugged tablets have proven their durability on multiple battlefields, earning them a Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of 9.
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