Good Bomb, Good Bomb!;
11/01/04 11:53 AM
A patrol of American soldiers is under attack from mortars and rocket fire. They call for help from an aircraft circling high above. The pilot points a laser at a flat-bed truck from where the mortar fire is coming, and seconds later a Hellfire missile streaks down from the sky, destroying the vehicle and killing the rebels.
‘Good bomb, good bomb,’ a soldier shouts over the radio, thanking a pilot who has just saved the troops’ lives. He speaks as though this pilot were close by.
In fact, the plane above the troops in Iraq is…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
iRobot and John Deere Team to Produce Military Ground Vehicle
10/28/04 12:25 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C.—AUSA ANNUAL MEETING Booth 2543, Oct. 25, 2004—Today iRobot and John Deere unveiled the Military R-GatorTM, an intelligent unmanned ground vehicle that will use off-the-shelf technology to autonomously perform dangerous and taxing missions. Until now, autonomous ground vehicles have been developed and built using custom technology on an individual basis, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Using available systems, iRobot and John Deere plan to begin pilot production of the R-Gator by mid-2005, with full production slated to begin by 2006.
“This joint effort between John Deere and iRobot combines our legacy of rugged reliability…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
TIAX Developing Power Source for U.S. Military Exoskeleton
09/19/04 01:52 PM
TIAX LLC, a leading collaborative product and technology development firm, today announced it has completed the second phase of a project to develop an advanced power source for a prototype military exoskeleton. The contract was awarded to TIAX in 2001 and supports the exoskeleton program under the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
An exoskeleton is a wearable robotic suit whose hydraulically powered joints and limbs move in unison with those of the human lower body. The prototype exoskeletons under development will allow soldiers to bear heavy loads over long distances, wear heavier and…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
Japan’s TMSUK, TCM Jointly Develop Plant Survellance Robot
09/19/04 01:49 PM
Robot developer tmsuk Co. and TCM Corp. (TSE:6374) have jointly created a robot that can patrol a plant and transmit video and audio data through a third-generation cell phone.
The developers built the robot by outfitting an automated guided vehicle with a camera and other equipment. The robot, which tmsuk began marketing on Tuesday, can be controlled through a cell phone or programmed with a set route.
The robot is also equipped with a microphone, speakers and lights.
With a third-generation FOMA cell phone by NTT DoCoMo Inc. (TSE:9437), it will transmit images and…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
CMU Readies Robot Vechicle
09/12/04 02:14 PM
Carnegie Mellon University’s Red Team took possession of a shiny new H1 Hummer yesterday and immediately began considering what they could strip off the hulking sport utility vehicle, beginning with its name.
“Whatever it was when it came through the door, it’s not an H1 anymore,” declared William “Red” Whittaker, the Carnegie Mellon roboticist who heads his namesake racing team. From now on, call it Highlander or, as the team prefers to spell it, “H1ghlander.”
The name is only the first of the changes the vehicle will undergo as Whittaker’s cohorts rapidly turn it into a…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
QinetiQ to Acquire Foster-Miller
09/09/04 02:22 PM
The acquisition is designed to increase Foster-Miller’s already rapid growth in commercial and defense markets. The company will continue current operations and expects that the new ownership will lead to a 15% increase in employment over the next year at the company’s Waltham campus. Foster-Miller will maintain its name and operate as a subsidiary of QinetiQ, Inc.
According to Dr. William Ribich, CEO and President of Foster-Miller, “The skill sets of QinetiQ and Foster-Miller are uniquely complementary. This acquisition is a prime opportunity for Foster-Miller to add new personnel, technology and financial resources. This will allow continued expansion…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
Industry Headlines
QinetiQ Buys Foster-Miller
09/09/04 02:19 PM
British science and technology development company QinetiQ Ltd. — the model for the British hi-tech and spy gadgetry service in the James Bond movies — said Wednesday, Sept. 8, it has agreed to buy Waltham, Mass.-based robot and armor maker Foster-Miller Inc. for $163 million.
QinetiQ, formerly part of the U.K. Ministry of Defense, is 31% owned by Washington private equity house Carlyle Group and 56% by the U.K. government. A Carlyle source said QinetiQ will fund its acquisition without additional financial input from Carlyle.
QinetiQ said the companies’ complementary R&D work and broad range of…
View this la post
Filed in:
Security & Defense Robotics •
