Robots In Hostile Environments

1. Nathan Krussel Robots In Hostile Environments

2. Roadmap • What is a robot? • What is a hostile Environment? • Current Uses • Bomb disposal • Chemical and biological spills • Deep Underwater • Distant Planets • Nuclear power plants • Military Application • Future Uses • Why is this important?

3. What is a robot? • Merriam-Webster • a real or imaginary machine that is controlled by a computer and is often made to look like a human or animal • : a machine that can do the work of a person and that works automatically or is controlled by a computer • Wikipedia • A robot is a mechanical or virtual agent, usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic circuitry. Robots can be autonomous or semi-autonomous and range from humanoids such as Honda's Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility (ASIMO) and TOSY's TOSY Ping Pong Playing Robot (TOPIO) to industrial robots, collectively programmed 'swarm' robots, and even microscopic nano robots.

4. What is a hostile environment? • A place where humans can be harmed or killed • A place unsafe to humans where potential threat can be found

5. Bomb Disposal • Foster-Miller TALON • Used by many branches of military and civilian units as bomb disposal Robot • Reconfigurable to many forms • Lead and Lithium-ion power plants • 1000m remote range • Transmits in color, B/W, Infrared, night vision • Can withstand decontamination • With stood 90 decontaminations in 45 days at ground zero • Climb stairs, rock piles, concertina wire, snow, potentially building collapses • 115 to 156 pounds

6. Bomb Disposal • Foster-Miller TALON

7. Bomb Disposal • John Hopkins APL “Robo-Sally” • Bimanual Dexterous Robotics Platform • 4 wheeled ATV like platform • Originally built around a Segway like design • Uses remote controlled prosthetic arms • Use glove like controls to manipulate Sally’s “hands” and a virtual reality helmet to give the pilot control of the arms and camera • Allows for finesse that the EOD talon doesn’t • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elZU29F4Bbc • http://www.engineeringtv.com/video/Robo-Sally-Replicates-Human-Cap;Bill-Wong-Videos

8. Chemical and Biological Spills • Foster Miller TALON CBRNE/HAZMAT • Same base platform as military TALON • Controllers feature gamepad devices • Try and grippers, Joint Chemical Agent Detector, MultiRAE, Raytek, AN/UDR14 sensors

9. Chemical and Biological Spills • ARTHR Autonomous Real-time Threat-Hunting Robot • An intelligence system that can be applied to a variety of robots • Has been selected to provide the “brains” for robots used by DoD • Requires less training than a “traditional” robot used in these places. • ARTHR is faster and more accurate • No collisions in 40 trial test, 81 collisions with traditional controls • Chemical detection 52% faster, and 67% less operator interaction • Localized 100% of radiation sources, 57% with traditional controls • Detected and marked 96% of anti-tank mines on 50 meter path in 25% of the time it took for a trained human • Can be controlled via point and click, traditional command centers, or with wii gaming remotes.

10. Deep Sea • Jason • A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) designed for deep sea exploration • Two body ROV system (Medea and Jason). Medea is a “shock absorber” from the ship for Jason • Its Prototype was Jason Jr. which was used to explore RMS titanic. • Has manipulator arms • Used right now to collect samples • Could in theory be used for repairs • Designed with maximum depth of 6500 meters • Connecting Jason are 3 copper conductors and three single mode fiber cables. Use spectra fibers for strength • Requires three operators per shift and is capable of running continuously

11. Distant Planets • Curiosity Rover • Stationed on Mars • LxWxH = 3m x 2.7m x 2.2m at 899 kilograms • Roughly car sized and weight • Destined for Gale Crater to see if Mars could have supported microbe life, and if humans could survive there one day. • 6 wheel design instead of treads. • Uses 256MB of DRAM and 2GB of flash memory. Both are error correcting. • Carries a radioisotope power system, using the heat from plutonium radioactive decay. • Life span of at least 687 earth days. • Has a twitter.

13. Nuclear Power Plants • CMU BioRobtics lab • A snake like robot capable of going into placed people are incapable of. • Small pipes, small areas, much like a boroscope that isn’t like a “wet noodle” • 5cm(2 inches) in diameter and 97cm(37 inches) long • Can twist around things to get a grip and is capable of climbing up and down objects. • Controlled and powered by a control cable • Tested in Austria’s Zwentendorf Nuclear power plant (never turned on) • http://youtu.be/QQSHFkITIiI?t=1m20s

14. Nuclear Power Plants • Honda/Japan’s AIST(Advanced Industrial Science and Technology) • Created a survey robot designed for use in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station • Mobile Platform with a single robotic arm • The arm can extend upward to 7m • Remotely controlled by 400 meter fiber optic cable, which is relayed to a wireless work station. LAN only operation. • 2 km/h and can overcome 6 cm bumps • Can create 3d map using its onboard laser rangefinder • Designed to detect radiation leaks and pinpoint their location.

15. Nuclear Power Plants • Honda/Japan’s AIST

16. Nuclear Power Plants • SUSI Robot • Used by AREVA to inspect its reactor during lifetime extension project • A small submarine that navigates the primary system of a nuclear power plant • Ultrasonic and Visual testing

17. Military Application • Boston Dynamics • Producer of a lot of robots for DARPA and have a variety of robots. • Atlas • Designed to mimic humans • Currently powered by electric power supply via tether • A high mobility humanoid robot. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD6Okylclb8 • Sand Flea • Small robot designed to jump • Can be outfitted with cameras • Remote controlled and durable • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b4ZZQkcNEo • Big Dog • Designed for carrying gear and supplies • Fully autonomous correction of environment • Can follow a pre programmed route, or a GPS beacon. • http://youtu.be/cNZPRsrwumQ?t=32s • Was “weaponized” with horns

18. Military Application • TALON • Is able to accept military grade weaponry and is controlled exactly as the other TALON robots. • Declared the SWORDS(special weapons observation reconnaissance detection system) variant • In 2007 three SWORDS units were deployed in Iraq, Each equipped with a M249. • A successor to this platform is being developed known as MAARS (Modula Advanced Armed Robotic System)

19. The Future • These Robots will become more advanced and precise as time goes on • Everyday new robot systems are being developed in plans to save human lives • Many of these robots are capable of other tasks, but haven’t been used in that scenario yet.

20. Why is This Important • As robotics advances the need to put a human in danger becomes less needed. • Such as with Fukushima Daiichi, using remote robots stops humans from being exposed to radiation • These systems allow us to go places we haven’t been able to go before, such as deep underwater, or into radioactive pipes. • They allow the protection of human life when gathering intelligence • Making work loads easier such as carrying equipment or scoping out danger with accurate sensors.

21. Resources • https://www.qinetiq-na.com/wp-content/uploads/data-sheet_talon.pdf • https://www.qinetiq-na.com/products/unmanned-systems/talon/ • http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/US_Navy_090512-N-2013O-013_A_Mark_II_Talon_robot_from_Explosive_Ordnance_Disposal_Mobile_Unit_5,_Det._Japan,_is_used_to_inspect_a_suspicious_package_during_a_force_protection-anti-terrorism_training_exercise.jpg • https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1269&mode=2&featurestory=DA_126994 • https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_810_257_0_43/http%3B/exps3.inl.gov%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/communities/inl_gov/newsroom/home_page_feature_stories/archives/2008/stories/08_ga50087_07_web.pdf • http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/subs/jason/jason.h • http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=8423ml • http://www.gizmag.com/cmu-snake-robot-explores-nuclear-power-plant/28235/ • http://www.gizmag.com/honda-aist-high-access-survey-robot-nuclear-plant/28063/ • http://www.pennenergy.com/articles/pennenergy/2013/11/susi-robot-used-in-nuclear-reactor-lifetime-extension-project.html • http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html