AMREL is no stranger to achievements at the annual Robot Rodeo. As reported by Defense Professionals, our team had success again at this year’s annual evaluation event staged by Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and other military stakeholders. For more information on AMREL’s role in this groundbreaking demonstration of autonomy, check out AMREL COTS Handheld Used for OCU & Payload Controller at Robot Rodeo.
What was the buzz at AUVSI North America conference, besides the UAVs being demonstrated? I talked to many, many people at the show, trying to glean information for future blog postings as well as newsletters. It’s hard to generalize, but I did notice certain topics being frequently discussed on the exhibitor’s floor. For the purpose of this blog post I am excluding conversations at the seminars.
What happens in Las Vegas, stays permanently on your work record
A number of people commented that this year’s attendance and exhibits were smaller than last year’s (I don’t know if this is true; this is my first show). I heard a rumor that the GSA scandal that occurred a few months back made Las Vegas a questionable destination for some participants. Read more
AMREL will be in Las Vegas next week for AUVSI North America 2012. Some big changes are coming, which we think will define the parameters of OCUs for the next few years. Drop by our booth, and we can talk about them. Also, I will be there, looking for story ideas. If you have any, or want to talk about sharing content, email me at editor@amrel.com.
AMREL’s superlight handheld, the ROCKY DB6 will be used as a payload controller & OCU to display autonomous functions. “The really amazing thing is that in less than 30 days, off-the-shelf DB6s have been integrated into two robots to perform multiple functions,” states Ron McMahan, AMREL’s Vice President of Engineering Solutions. Look for us at the MacroUSA demonstration at the JIEDO challenge. Read more about the Robot Rodeo here.
The superlight, powerful ROCKY DB6 has recently been upgraded. The point & click operation of the touch screen has been enhanced with a corresponding improvement in the accuracy of its interactive function. Already user-friendly and reliable, the DB6 is now easier to operate and more dependable. Our design engineering department has expanded the DB6’s integration capability as well. A thin longitudinal spacer was crafted to increase the DB6’s “real estate” available for additional components. This “spacer” adds less than ½ inch of thickness to the DB6, which is the smallest fully rugged handheld in the world with full Windows/Linux OS. The “spacer” has been successfully used to add GPS and other critical components.
AMREL will be at SOFIC, which will be held in the Tampa Convention Center from May 22nd to 24th. Come to booth #340 and see our superlight DB6 handheld and powerful RF9 laptop!
Videos of computers being smashed have a certain visceral appeal. Even though computers make our life easier, all of us have experienced an impulse to chuck one through a window.
While not quite as violent as a window toss, this video demonstrates a test that seems eerily familiar to a drop test of MIL-STD 810.
UPDATE: The shine may be starting to fade on the ARMY’s golden boy, the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE). There have been grumblings about the size of the effort (see original blog post below). Now, its price is raising eyebrows (Officials worry Army’s NIE is too expensive). NIE costs a whopping $260 million in 2012.
Could be that’s this is just growing pains. After all, the 2013 request is “only” $214 million, which is especially impressive considering the NIE is under pressure to grow from ambitious officers wanting to participate. This implies that the ARMY is learning how to run the evaluation more efficiently.
Still, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a procurement process that is supposed to be “agile” and cost effective seems a bit counter intuitive. Maybe the line between boondoggle and success is thinner than is commonly realized. Read more
You can spot an AMREL laptop being used as an Operator Control Unit for a PackBot at about 59 seconds into this episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. For once, TV gives a relatively accurate depiction of how unmanned systems are actually used. Watch video.
Why are unmanned systems developers offering so many different kinds of platforms and ideas, when there is comparatively little demand by the civilian market? Why are there more offerings than customers?
These questions were raised in the Unmanned Systems group in LinkedIn. It provoked a number of insightful comments about the current state of unmanned systems and its future. If you are a member of LinkedIn, and can log in, you can read the discussion here. Read more
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