MobileRobots Inc. Unveils First Indoor-OutdoorRobotic Rover
Seekur™ Robot Designed for Work in Garages, Hangars, Storage Facilities, and Outdoors
Homeland security takes a leap forward with MobileRobots Inc’s unveiling of the new Seekur all-weather robot, on preview at the Institute for Defense & Government Advancement’s Military Robotics 2006 Unmanned Systems show today.
Seekur will be the first robotic platform designed to patrol in, out, and around storage facilities and outbuildings, climbing ramps and small steps. Its unique omni-directional wheels turn sideways in place, allowing Seekur to maneuver with ease within tight spaces, such as parking garages. The robot is built to weather extremes of snow, sand, cold, and heat. Unlike other outdoor robots, Seekur will be totally unmanned, though it can be teleoperated, if desired. Other outdoor robots are converted vehicles, with added electronics to run unmanned.
MobileRobots designed Seekur to carry DGPS sensors, as well as special cameras for detecting intruders at long range, arms for picking up interesting or dangerous objects and sensors to detect hazardous conditions. While Seekur will rely primarily on DGPS signals for outdoor navigation, it can deploy MobileRobots’ powerful ARCSinside™ indoor mapping and navigation components, allowing it to autonomously navigate within buildings.
MobileRobots anticipates the new platform will also excite robot researchers and outdoor robotic application developers.
MobileRobots’ Chief Technology Officer, Dr. William Kennedy, reports, “Seekur is the robot developer’s dream. Seekur is holonomic; programming it is much easier than a Jeep or other vehicle with a large turning radius.”
The research version of Seekur comes complete with software development libraries and has the option for up to 5 PCs to handle massive sensor information used to develop intelligent transport robots, intelligent passenger vehicles, intelligent security robots, planetary rovers, military robots, and mobile industrial robotics.
About MobileRobots Inc:
MobileRobots Inc, is a global leader in design and manufacture of intelligent mobile robots, sensing, and controls. Established in 1995, the company has sold thousands of robots to organizations including Intel, Amgen, Carnegie Mellon, Hitachi, John Deere, Microsoft, NASA, US Army, and the US Navy. MobileRobots R&D, production, and business offices are based in Amherst, NH. http://www.MobileRobots.com.
Contact: Katherine Sandoz
Phone: 603-881-7960 ext. 108
Cell: 603-969-6552
