Yikes! The NDIA just announced that it canceled the Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference (GRCC) 2013.
In an email dated March 5, NDIA stated:
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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.
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.
At the recent Ground Robotics Capability Conference (GRCC), I surveyed a number of vendors about what was on their mind. I read them a list of topics that are frequently covered in OCU Pro newsletters as well as AMREL’s corporate blog.
By far, one topic elicited more interest than any other: interoperability. On one hand, I was pleased. AMREL has been a leader for developing solutions that have the ability to “… to work with or use the parts or equipment of another system” (Merriam-Webster definition). For example, our Flexpedient® Solutions enable kit building of Operator Control Units with common control capabilities.
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
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.
Recently, some clients asked AMREL to build an Operator Control Unit (OCU) for their Unmanned Ground Vehicle. No surprise there; we dominate that particular application. What was noteworthy was the specific form factor that they requested. They wanted it to be a wearable computer, worn on the wrist.
We ran a simple experiment with the clients. We strapped a small computer to their wrist and had them run some typical UGV commands. Soon, they discovered that their arms grew tired supporting the computer. The clients agreed to have their OCU installed in the traditional, if less exotic, form factor of a handheld.
Notice that the wrist-mounted form factor wasn’t discarded for technological reasons. AMREL has become quite adept at developing small, powerful, ATOM-based computer platforms, which would be perfect for wearable solutions. Rather, this innovative approach was discarded, because the wrist form factor proved impractical for this particular use. Read more
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International recently held its annual North America show, and AMREL was
Robotics System Joint Project Office (RSJPO) there! In addition to our booth showing off AMREL’s new interoperable payload controller, AMREL’s OCU solutions were displayed by a multitude of vendors, including: Read more
AMREL releases the first Payload Controller that uses swappable, field-expedient Radio Control Modules (RCMs). Radio components are integrated into the RCM, which fit into AMREL’s revolutionary swappable device bays. RCMs can be easily switched in and out by ordinary personnel, enabling it to easily change applications.
Developed under AMREL’s Flexpedient® Technology, RCMs were first used in AMREL OCU solutions. RCMs enabled AMREL to be the first company to produce an OCU solution that could control heterogeneous unmanned systems – even when they have diverse operating systems and different origins of manufacture. Read more
Check out this amazing video of a hummingbird UAV from AeroVironment Inc.
This speedy, little UAV illustrates several significant trends in unmanned systems: Read more
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