PackBot

Last updated
PackBot being demonstrated by the French military Robot 501585 fh000026.jpg
PackBot being demonstrated by the French military
A PackBot used in explosive ordnance disposal training with US and Saudi Arabian forces in 2021 U.S. and Saudi Arabia explosive ordnance disposal technicians train in Saudi Arabia. (50921885603).jpg
A PackBot used in explosive ordnance disposal training with US and Saudi Arabian forces in 2021

PackBot is a series of military robots by Endeavor Robotics (previously by iRobot [1] ), an international robotics company founded in 2016, created from iRobot, that previously produced military robots since 1990. More than 2000 were used in Iraq and Afghanistan. [2] They were also used to aid searching through the debris of the World Trade Center after 9/11 in 2001. [3] Another instance of the PackBot technology being implemented was to the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami where they were the first to assess the site. [4] As of November 2014, the U.S. Army is refurbishing 224 iRobot 510 robots. [5] The PackBot technology is also used in collaboration with NASA for their rovers and probes.

Contents

Brief history

iRobot International PackBot orders

February 2011 iRobot released confirmation of a deal totaling $4.4 million for the first quarter of 2011 for the manufacturing of 27 PackBot 510's and spare parts to accompany them. [6] In 2010, the industrial division of iRobot accumulated $13.2 million in revenue for international orders for PackBot alone in more than 25 countries. [6] In September 2014, iRobot secured a deal with the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND). The contract was for the delivery of PackBot reconnaissance, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear systems. The contract was priced at $9.6 million and includes the training of military personnel to operate the equipment, as well as lifetime repairs and technical support. [7] PackBots have also been used in non-military operations. In 2014 the Brazilian government received an order of 30 PackBots. The robots were used for security purposes during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the deal totaled $7.2 million in order to police the twelve host cities during the soccer matches. [8] To date, iRobot has delivered upwards of 5000 different robots including PackBots internationally. [7]

NASA and PackBots

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) has a partnership with the company, iRobot. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a facility responsible for the development of robotic space-crafts as well as the Deep Space Network. [9] Among these space-crafts are the rovers sent to the planet Mars. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity sent to Mars in 2003 are just two of the rovers managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mars is not the only place employing iRobot technology. In 2011, Japan was rocked by a strong earthquake causing a meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactor. Two PackBot rovers were deployed into the ruins of the nuclear power plant to assess damage, where the radioactivity was at high enough levels to prohibit humans from exploring.

The projects involving the cooperation of iRobot and NASA allowed the creation of high-tech machines. The much-needed physical structure of the robots was designed by iRobot, while the instruments and science equipment on board was provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. [10]

Current PackBot 510 variants

A U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician trains on iRobot's PCC, one of the remote control operation devices used to operate the Packbot. US Navy 090624-N-4649C-002 A Sailor operates a PackBot explosive detecting robot during explosive handling training at U.S. Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, Wash.jpg
A U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician trains on iRobot's PCC, one of the remote control operation devices used to operate the Packbot.

PackBot 510 is the current base model. It uses a videogame-style hand controller to make it more familiar to young operators.

Performance

PackBot 510 has a maximum speed of 5.8 mph or 9.3 km/h, and weighs 31.6 lbs. or 14.3 kg. [14] The robot can traverse mud, rocks, stairs, and other surfaces due to its caterpillar track. [15] The robot also has zero radius turn capability, and can climb up to a 60 degree incline. The dual BB-2590/U Li-ion rechargeable batteries allow for the robot to have a run time of 4 to 8 hours. Adaptive Materials Inc. (AMI) has created a power pod battery capable of extending the life of the PackBot. The power pod weighs 6 kg(13 lbs) and allows for extension of battery life to reach 12 hours. [16] It can maneuver in up to 3 feet of water. [15] PackBot has more than 40 accessories, which are illustrated in PackBot 510 variants. Additionally, the robot can communicate up to 1000 meters or 3281 feet, and captures information through four cameras with night vision, zoom, and illumination capabilities that allow for real time image processing. [14]

Previous variants

A U.S. Navy Sailor assigned to an explosive ordnance disposal team poses beside a PackBot. US Navy 090310-N-7090S-001 Explosive ordnance disposal technicians are using remote-controlled machines to help detect and defuse improvised explosive devices.jpg
A U.S. Navy Sailor assigned to an explosive ordnance disposal team poses beside a PackBot.

Deployment

The main use of the Packbot in the field is IED detection and defusing. The Packbot Scout was the first deployment of the Packbot and was sent to Afghanistan in 2002 to explore caves and bunkers. [18] This model was the simplest Packbot which contained just a robotic arm and camera. [18] As of 2007 Packbots have been deployed to aid in the detection of sniper fire in the Middle East. Acoustic signatures detected by the robot allow ground troops to pinpoint sniper fire in battle. [18] Packbot has also been used to explore buildings and other possibly dangerous areas with the modified light Packbot Explorer, which only weighs 30 pounds and is faster than the Packbot 510. [18] In addition, iRobot sent two Packbot 510 robots to Japan after the tsunami and earthquake destroyed Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The robot was used on several reconnaissance missions at the power plant to remove debris and measure radiation readings.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</span> Research and development center and NASA field center in California, United States

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Caltech researchers, the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and administered and managed by the California Institute of Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerobot</span>

An aerobot is an aerial robot, usually used in the context of an uncrewed space probe or unmanned aerial vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncrewed spacecraft</span> Spacecraft without people on board

Uncrewed spacecraft or robotic spacecraft are spacecraft without people on board. Uncrewed spacecraft may have varying levels of autonomy from human input, such as remote control, or remote guidance. They may also be autonomous, in which they have a pre-programmed list of operations that will be executed unless otherwise instructed. A robotic spacecraft for scientific measurements is often called a space probe or space observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars Science Laboratory</span> Robotic mission that deployed the Curiosity rover to Mars in 2012

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed Curiosity, a Mars rover, in Gale Crater on August 6, 2012. The overall objectives include investigating Mars' habitability, studying its climate and geology, and collecting data for a human mission to Mars. The rover carries a variety of scientific instruments designed by an international team.

iRobot American technology company that produces consumer robots

iRobot Corporation is an American technology company that designs and builds consumer robots. It was founded in 1990 by three members of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, who designed robots for space exploration and military defense. The company's products include a range of autonomous home vacuum cleaners (Roomba), floor moppers, and other autonomous cleaning devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned ground vehicle</span> Type of vehicle

An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground without an onboard human presence. UGVs can be used for many applications where it is inconvenient, dangerous, expensive, or impossible to use an onboard human operator. Typically, the vehicle has sensors to observe the environment, and autonomously controls its behavior or uses a remote human operator to control the vehicle via teleoperation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts</span> NASA program

The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is a NASA program for development of far reaching, long term advanced concepts by "creating breakthroughs, radically better or entirely new aerospace concepts". The program operated under the name NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts from 1998 until 2007, and was reestablished in 2011 under the name NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts and continues to the present. The NIAC program funds work on revolutionary aeronautics and space concepts that can dramatically impact how NASA develops and conducts its missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LCROSS</span> Lunar Impactor

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar regions of the Moon. Launched immediately after discovery of lunar water by Chandrayaan-1, the main LCROSS mission objective was to further explore the presence of water in the form of ice in a permanently shadowed crater near a lunar polar region. It was successful in confirming water in the southern lunar crater Cabeus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATHLETE</span>

ATHLETE is a six-legged robotic lunar rover under development by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). ATHLETE is a testbed for systems, and is designed for use on the Moon.

<i>Curiosity</i> (rover) NASA robotic rover exploring Gale crater on Mars

Curiosity is a car-sized Mars rover exploring Gale crater and Mount Sharp on Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Curiosity was launched from Cape Canaveral (CCAFS) on November 26, 2011, at 15:02:00 UTC and landed on Aeolis Palus inside Gale crater on Mars on August 6, 2012, 05:17:57 UTC. The Bradbury Landing site was less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from the center of the rover's touchdown target after a 560 million km (350 million mi) journey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars 2020</span> Astrobiology Mars rover mission by NASA

Mars 2020 is a NASA mission that includes the rover Perseverance, the now-retired small robotic helicopter Ingenuity, and associated delivery systems, as part of the Mars Exploration Program. Mars 2020 was launched on an Atlas V rocket at 11:50:01 UTC on July 30, 2020, and landed in the Martian crater Jezero on February 18, 2021, with confirmation received at 20:55 UTC. On March 5, 2021, NASA named the landing site Octavia E. Butler Landing. As of 19 September 2024, Perseverance has been on Mars for 1274 sols. Ingenuity operated on Mars for 1042 sols before sustaining serious damage to its rotor blades, possibly all four, causing NASA to retire the craft on January 25, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars Cube One</span> 2018 Mars flyby mission

Mars Cube One was a Mars flyby mission launched on 5 May 2018 alongside NASA's InSight Mars lander. It consisted of two nanospacecraft, MarCO-A and MarCO-B, that provided real-time communications to Earth for InSight during its entry, descent, and landing (EDL) on 26 November 2018 - when InSight was out of line of sight from the Earth. Both spacecraft were 6U CubeSats designed to test miniaturized communications and navigation technologies. These were the first CubeSats to operate beyond Earth orbit, and aside from telecommunications they also tested CubeSats' endurance in deep space. On 5 February 2019, NASA reported that both the CubeSats had gone silent by 5 January 2019, and are unlikely to be heard from again. In August 2019, the CubeSats were honored for their role in the successful landing of the InSight lander on Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar Flashlight</span> Lunar orbiter by NASA

Lunar Flashlight was a low-cost CubeSat lunar orbiter mission to explore, locate, and estimate size and composition of water ice deposits on the Moon for future exploitation by robots or humans.

<i>Ingenuity</i> (helicopter) Retired NASA helicopter on the Mars 2020 mission

Ingenuity, nicknamed Ginny, is an autonomous NASA helicopter that operated on Mars from 2021 to 2024 as part of the Mars 2020 mission. Ingenuity made its first flight on April 19, 2021, demonstrating that flight is possible in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, and becoming the first aircraft to conduct a powered and controlled extra-terrestrial flight. It was designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in collaboration with AeroVironment, NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center with some components supplied by Lockheed Martin Space, Qualcomm, and SolAero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vandi Verma</span> Roboticist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory and driver of the Mars rovers

Vandana "Vandi" Verma is a space roboticist and chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, known for driving the Mars rovers, notably Curiosity and Perseverance, using software including PLEXIL programming technology that she co-wrote and developed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BRUIE</span> Autonomous underwater vehicle

BRUIE is an autonomous underwater vehicle prototype by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The prototype began underwater testing in 2012 and it is meant to eventually explore the interior of water worlds in the Solar System, such as Europa or Enceladus.

<i>Perseverance</i> (rover) NASA Mars rover deployed in 2021

Perseverance, nicknamed Percy, is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 UTC. Confirmation that the rover successfully landed on Mars was received on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC. As of 19 September 2024, Perseverance has been active on Mars for 1274 sols since its landing. Following the rover's arrival, NASA named the landing site Octavia E. Butler Landing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return</span> Proposed Mars sample return mission

The NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return is a proposed Flagship-class Mars sample return (MSR) mission to collect Martian rock and soil samples in 43 small, cylindrical, pencil-sized, titanium tubes and return them to Earth around 2033.

References

  1. ↑ "Endeavor Robotics". endeavorrobotics.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  2. ↑ "iRobot Delivers 3,000th PackBot". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Sutter, John D. "How 9/11 inspired a new era of robotics". CNN. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  4. ↑ Nakata, Hiroko (2012-01-06). "Domestic robots failed to ride to rescue after No. 1 plant blew". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ US Army Works Toward Single Ground Robot – Defensenews.com, 15 November 2014
  6. 1 2 "iRobot Announces International PackBot Orders". Technology Business Journal: 3409. 22 February 2011. ISSN   1945-8398.
  7. 1 2 "Canadian DND orders iRobot 510 PackBot CBRN robots". Army technology. 2014-09-10.
  8. ↑ Michael, Katina; Michael, M.G. (2014). "The Packbots Are Coming: Boosting security at the 2014 FIFA World Cup". IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine. 3 (3): 59. doi:10.1109/MCE.2014.2317914. S2CID   22007977.
  9. ↑ "About JPL". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  10. ↑ "NASA – NASA Technology Looks Inside Japan's Nuclear Reactor". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  11. ↑ "R&D command seeks better coordination of research". Archived from the original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  12. ↑ "IRobot Corporation: RedOwl Sniper Detection Kit". Archived from the original on 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  13. ↑ Marines happily recycle Army bots Archived 2014-06-02 at the Wayback Machine – MarineCorpstimes.com, 19 April 2014
  14. 1 2 "Endeavor Robotics" (PDF).
  15. 1 2 "iRobot 510 PackBot Multi-Mission Robot, United States of America".
  16. ↑ "AMI demos UGV power pod on i Robot Pack Bot". Fuel Cells Bulletin. 2009 (11): 4. 2009. doi:10.1016/S1464-2859(09)70350-5.
  17. 1 2 3 "PackBot Tactical Robot". defense-update.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Morris, Jefferson (February 24, 2006). "iRobot's Dyer missions multiplying for PackBot". Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. 217 (36): 1. ProQuest   231479855.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.