FIGURE 5.
over 3,000 of the F6A (Figure 3)
robots already in service around the
world for military, police, and SWAT
teams. Having first made robots for
the nuclear industry in Oak Ridge,
TN, Remotec purchased Andros
technology in 1986. Figure 4 shows
an enactment of an Andros F6A
hazardous duty robot approaching
an improvised explosive device set
under a railroad track.
The basic model weighs 485
pounds. It is 29 inches wide ( 17. 5”
without the quick-release wheels) and
52 inches long with a height of 56. 5
inches. It can climb a 45 degree slope
and any pitch of stairs, and operates
at speeds of up to 3. 5 mph. The color
surveillance camera has image stabilization, 216:1 total zoom capability,
and pan and tilt of the camera head
and lighting. Other cameras are also
FIGURE 6.
FIGURE 7.
available and mounted on a 24 inch
extendable boom. The manipulator
arm and gripper have seven degrees
of freedom with a continuously-rotatable gripper. The wheels can be
quickly removed and the F6A has fore
and aft articulated tracks to traverse
ditches, stairs, and obstacles.
The F6A robot can be remotely
controlled by means of three available
data links: radio control; a 1,200 foot
fiber-optic cable deployed from the
robot (when RF interference may be
a problem); or a 330 foot hard-wire
cable. Numerous accessories are
available for the robot including a
table-top controller shown in Figure 5
or a hand-held controller for walk-along operation and control of the
articulated arm and gripper. A laser
aiming device, high intensity
lighting, and a headset
mounted LCD display for
the video system is available. The price range for
the F6A goes from $125K
to $225K, depending on
the addition of available
options. There are several
cool tools you can add,
such as a PAN disrupter
(Percussion Actuated Nonelectric), which is basically a
type of shotgun that can
disable IEDs or any explosive device
(or suspected explosive device)
without initiating them, using kinetic
force. Figure 6 shows this device
being aimed at a mock explosive package. Most explosives will not go off if
the detonator is not actuated, such as
with a disruptor. Actual shotguns can
be mounted using less-than-lethal
rounds to immobilize a suspect.
Cable cutters, circular and reciprocating saws, drills, and spring-loaded
punches to break windows are some
of the other items that certain
agencies may desire. Radiation, X-ray,
and contamination sensors can also
be used in unknown or possible
contaminated situations. The 225
pound ‘entry-level’ hazardous-duty
Mini-Andros II is shown in Figure 7
handling a bomb disposal.
This particular model has been
discontinued and replaced by the
newer HD-1 (Figure 8) for customers
requiring a smaller robot (200
pounds), with a price ranging from
$75K to $180K. Remotec gives a
2-1/2 day training seminar to buyers
at their TN facility. Go to northrop
grumman.com/Remotec/f6a for
more information.
The iRobot
Negotiator
iRobot is known by most as the
producers of the very popular Roomba
vacuum cleaner robot, but a large
portion of their sales fall into the
‘government and industrial’ arena
under which is the military PackBot
and the smaller Negotiator seen in
Figure 9. iRobot brought out the
Negotiator after civilian agencies
requested a smaller, lighter, and less
expensive robot for police work. The
Negotiator has a more approachable
cost for smaller agencies with a price
range between $15,000 and $45,000.
This small robot is ideal for basic
remote reconnaissance operations.
The Negotiator comes equipped
with what is called the ‘Civil Response
Kit.’ This small, 34 pound (with
batteries) robot has the ability to
quickly climb stairs, navigate debris,
and even right itself if flipped over. It
is just 25 inches long, 16 inches wide
80 SERVO 07.2009
