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“You really need to develop a whole product solution—hardware, software, UI, interfaces, and process redesign—with a consideration for what problem you are really trying to solve.” —Aldo Zini
Getting large teams of robots to collaborate is the work of Dr Regis Vincent, who envisions applications that include mapping nuclear contamination.
What obstacles remain for robots to work alongside humans in industrial settings, and how far have we come in eliminating those challenges? Dr. Roland Menassa answers these and other questions in his presentation at the RoboBusiness summit November 2-3 in Boston.
John Reid, director of Product Technology and Innovation at Moline Technology Innovation Center, a part of John Deere’s Global Technology Innovation Network, discusses how his company’s technologies will help feed the world’s billions.
Mark Ingebretsen
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More The U.S. Army awarded Northrop Grumman a $97 million contract to procure, modify and deliver 12 Hunter MQ-5B Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs); six One-System Block II ground control stations; eight tactical common data link, ground data link terminal sets; two sets of ground support equipment; and four sets of spare parts.
The Hunter Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) contract is to be carried out under the contractor logistic support (CLS) 2008 contract, a cost-plus-fixed fee effort with a lifespan of as long as five years. The award was made through a modification to the Hunter CLS 2008 contract and will be performed over a period of two years with a third year option.
Northrop Grumman’s teammates include: Stark Aerospace in Starkville, Miss.; L-3 Communications in Salt Lake City; Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; AAI Corp., in Hunt Valley, Md..; APL GmbH, Germany; and Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.’s TAMAM Division in Israel. Work will primarily be performed at Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Center of Excellence in Sierra Vista, Ariz., and facilities at Starkville, Miss.
In addition to the hardware procurement, modification and delivery, Northrop Grumman will also update all publications and technical manuals for the Hunter to include those pertaining to maintenance, training, and operation.
“This contract win is a clear indicator that the Army values the Hunter as a combat multiplier throughout its battlespace in providing real-time intelligence to the soldier on the front lines,” says Karl Purdy, Northrop Grumman Technical Services program manager for the contract. “Further, this contract is a validation of Hunter’s sustainability and dependability in accomplishing their critical ISR mission.”
Hunter is part of Northrop Grumman’s unmatched unmanned systems product line that includes the high-altitude, long-endurance RQ-4 Global Hawk, the Global Hawk Maritime Demonstration program, the Euro Hawk, the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program, the MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Air System (VUAS), aerial targets, and the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System.
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