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AMREL will once again be at the Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference (GRCC). GRCC is a big deal for us.  At past GRCCs, we’ve launched Flexpedient ® Technology for interoperable Operator Control Unit solutions, introduced the interoperable payload controller, and showcased the DB6, the smallest fully rugged handheld in the world with Windows/Linux OS.  This year, we are talking interoperability a step further with a line of complete Unmanned Subsystems solutions.  If you want a sneak peek at these remarkable new solutions, drop by Booth 310, and ask if there are there any tickets left to AMREL’s exclusive Technology Suite.   See you in San Diego!

It may be hard to remember all the way back to 2010, but when the iPad was first introduced, no one was sure if the public would actually adopt it.  “People already have a smartphone and a laptop,” ran a common refrain, “What’s the point of another mobile form factor?”

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describe the image2011 was a good year for AMREL and 2012 promises even to be better.  We have all kinds of exciting news and we can’t want to wait to tell you about it. Come to think of it, we have to; this is the last blog post of the year. In the meantime, you and your loved ones have a happy and safe holiday! See you in 2012!

December Update If you are not reading The Robot Report (and you should be; it’s one of the best things on the web about the robotic industry), you may have missed their article about the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.  Much of what it says will not be news to the readers of this blog, but one paragraph caught my attention:

“In the case of Fukushima, both iRobot and QinetiQ, companies that volunteered equipment to Tepco, instructors found that senior Tepco employees were chosen to be trained to operate the American and British robots yet they were less suited to the task than the 20-year olds who had gamer experience. The remote-controlled PackBot and Talon robots and the RC Bobcat tractors, all used gaming consoles to operate their devices and the senior employees were slow to learn. In a recent Webinar on the issue by Robotic Trends, the trainers found that 20-year olds learned in less than a day while it took the older Tepco employees many days to gain the same level of competence.”

With the recent rapid growth of unmanned systems, there has been much speculation about the disruptive effects of their wide-spread adoption.  A commonly-held view is that low-skilled workers will be displaced, while an educated elite (presumably people who make robots) will continue to thrive. Read more

Faster, more powerful, and more flexible than earlier models, AMREL’s new RT9, RK9, and RF9 laptops are perfect for the data-heavy applications used by the military and public safety sectors.

“Every single upgrade in the new laptops was made in response to the critical needs of end users,” explains Ron McMahan, AMREL’s VP, Engineering Solutions. “Video streaming, biometric file transmission, mapping software, and other large footprint applications need greater shared system memory.  So, AMREL has added options for up to 8GB memory as well as faster processors and a larger memory cache.” Read more

Of course, AMREL will be at the UAV WEST Summit!  We’ll be there to talk about our interoperable OCU solutions, as wll as our super-light, super-powerful ROCKY DB6 handheld. Come see us at booth #211.

Visit AMREL Booth #531 and ask about our new DK+ in-vehicle system. It’s  in-vehicle and a handheld, easily integrated with off-the-shelf modems, and requires only one cable for installation.

 

Farms grow more than just food.  For the last couple of years, one of the biggest crops has been unmanned systems. Click here to read about it.

Don’t miss Ron McMahan, AMREL’s Vice President of Engineering Solutions, speaking at the UGV interoperability session on Tuesday, November 1.  From October 31 to November 3, AMREL will be at booth #6, discussing our latest interoperable robotic control solutions.  Click here to learn more about the conference. See you in San Diego!

Wired has a video featuring MESA’s amazing ACER UGV as well as its autonomy programming, which was created by the folks at 5D.  At the 5 minute, 20 second mark of the video, you can see the AMREL laptop that’s serves as ACER’s Operator Control Unit.  Check out Exclusive Video: Robot Mini-Tank Battles Homemade Bombs