Robotics Trends

Center for Defense Robotics Awards Federally-Funded Robotics Technology Development Projects * NCDR doubled number of and tripled value of projects it funded in FY 2005

* Four projects involved teaming PA-based companies and/or universities with entities outside PA

The National Center for Defense Robotics (NCDR), an initiative of The Technology Collaborative, today announced that during the Federal Government Fiscal Year 2006 (GFY06) ending September 30, 2006, it was awarded a total of 15 task orders totaling $5.065 million and in turn awarded 14 robotics technology development project sub- contracts totaling $4.335 million to 13 companies and universities, including eight based in Pennsylvania and five based outside…
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Technest Engaged by Army to Develop System to Optimize Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Performance Tracking Technest Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:TCNH), a defense and homeland security company, announced today that it was selected by the U.S. Army to develop and prototype a real-time motion tracking Video-Moving Target Indicator ("MTI") surveillance algorithm, SmartMTI.

The SmartMTI system will be able to successfully detect, extract and track the locations and movement history of multiple targets in real time within any image data.

Technest’s design improvements to existing MTI technology include: random air vehicle motion mitigation; false alarm rate reduction; low bandwidth surveillance accuracy and efficiency; robust tracking of an unlimited number of targets; and, accurate target…
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Oshkosh Truck Awarded $1 Million from Defense Advanced Research Projects to Advance UGV Technology Oshkosh Truck Corporation [NYSE: OSK] announced the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the company a contract to further develop unmanned ground vehicle technology in preparation for the third DARPA robotic competition, the Urban Challenge. DARPA granted the technology development award based on the merits of an extensive team proposal. The contract is valued up to $1 million.

Oshkosh Truck brings considerable experience to the Urban Challenge, having competed in each of the previous two challenges. In October 2005, the Oshkosh robotic truck, TerraMax, was one of only five entries to complete the course. Team Oshkosh…
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BAE Systems Completes Acquisition of National Sensor Systems BAE Systems completed its acquisition of Acton, Mass.-based National Sensor Systems following receipt of regulatory approval. With the $8.7 million cash transaction, BAE Systems adds advanced competencies in its remote sensing, photonics and laser communications technologies.

“National Sensor Systems has nationally recognized expertise in delivering highly advanced electro-optical systems”, said Dr. Ramy Shanny, general manager of BAE Systems’ Advanced Technologies business area in Washington, D.C. “These systems include stabilized gimbals, turrets, laser communications, and airborne optical systems.”

National Sensor Systems’ engineers and scientists specialize in end-to-end design and manufacture of advanced systems and enabling technologies. The…
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Additional $20M in TALON Robots and Parts Ordered for Robot Hospitals in Iraq/Afghanistan The funds have been released from a $63.4 million IDIQ (indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity) contract with the Navy - one of two that Foster-Miller has for TALON robots and replacement parts.

“Robot hospitals” in Iraq and Afghanistan fix TALON robots damaged by defusing or destroying IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and put them back into service within four hours. They are staffed by Army, Marine and Navy maintenance and repair technicians whose mission is to get TALONs back into the hands of troops by rebuilding them with a combination of replacement parts and usable parts scavenged from other damaged…
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Object Management Group Joins RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition as Premier Sponsor Trends and IDG World Expo today announced that the Object Management Group has joined the RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition as the Premier Association Co-Sponsor. The RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition (http://www.robodevelopment.com) will be held December 12-13, 2006 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara California.

“I am delighted that the Object Management Group has joined the RoboDevelopment Conference and Exposition as the event’s Premier Association Co-Sponsor,” said Dan Kara, conference co-chairman and President of Robotics Trends. “The dearth of standards in the robotics field could limit the potential of this exciting new market. The OMG is leading…
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Global Hawk Shows Valuable Demand The Global Hawk unmanned aerial system continues to prove its utility and effectiveness in the global war on terror, having flown more than 10,500 flight hours by late July. The Global Hawk achieved 10,000 flight hours in June, with its ratio of combat flying hours to non-combat hours increasing to 63 percent of total flight hours.

Managed by the 303rd Aeronautical Systems Group at Aeronautical Systems Center here, Global Hawk is proving a popular asset. Its mounting flight hours underscore the unmanned aerial system’s prominent and growing operational role and constitute a key acquisition success.

“This…
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EOS Awards Contract To Ultra MSI For Remote Weapon Station Hand Controls Under a $418,000 contract with Electro Optic Systems Pty, Canberra, Australia, Ultra Electronics Measurement Systems Inc. (Ultra MSI) is supplying high reliability control grips for use in the U. S. Army’s Common Remote Operated Weapon Station (CROWS). The remote weapon stations are being mounted on Hum-Vees and other smaller army vehicles for deployment in Iraq and are designed to acquire and engage targets in 360-degree coverage, while remaining within the protection of a moving Up-Armored vehicle.

Under its initial contract with Electro Optical Systems (EOS), Ultra MSI will supply 171 of its popular 1505 Aluminum Control Grips outfitted…
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BAE Systems Successfully Tests Skylynx II Unmanned Aircraft System BAE Systems successfully completed tests on its Skylynx IITM unmanned aircraft system at Yuma Proving Grounds on Aug. 9. During test flights it met key requirements including acoustic performance, endurance, and payload capability for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition missions. The aircraft was developed to support missions such as those critical to the U.S. Marine Corps Tier II (regiment-level) unmanned aircraft program.

The Skylynx II flew in a series of flight patterns to demonstrate agility. Using an integrated electro-optical/infrared imaging payload, the aircraft automatically located and tracked vehicle and human targets, transmitting coordinates to a ground station.

…
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Innova & Univ. of South Florida Announce Collaborative Agreement to Accelerate Development Innova Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IVHG), a robotics technology firm providing software and hardware systems to the service, personal, and industrial robot markets, announced that it has entered into an agreement with the University of South Florida (USF), (Tampa, Fla.) College of Engineering to jointly undertake research and development projects in unmanned ground and aerial robotics, RF, infrared, and wireless controls, and open-architecture PC systems.

At the College of Engineering, the Unmanned Vehicle Systems Research Group, led by Professor Kimon Valavanis, Ph.D., researches and develops new methods and technologies related to autonomous navigation, reconnaissance, surveillance, patrolling, tracking, traffic monitoring,…
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