Dragon Runner Gets Modular Upgrades
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Monday, 15 of September , 2008 at 12:24 am
The Dragon Runner SUGV (small unmanned ground vehicle) is a 14.4 pound man-portable robot originally designed for the Marines. Even though the Dragon Runner was in some ways less capable than its larger and more sophisticated (and more expensive and more dangerous) cousin, being little can have lots of advantages when it comes to reconnaissance. And being carried around most of the day on some poor marine’s back.
Manufacturer Foster-Miller is making the Dragon Runner quite a bit more versatile by creating a bunch of add-ons designed to help the bot tackle different situations, like climbing stairs and even handling small explosives. Modules include a variety of tracks (including curb tracks and stair tracks to replace the standard wheels), several different sensor packages, and a multi-axis manipulator arm with a camera and grabber. All you have to do is decide what you need to complete a task, bolt on the appropriate module(s) (no specialized tools required), and let the bot do its thing.
Someone still does have to carry around all of these modules, but you have to admit, it’s better than carrying around like 5 different robots.
[ Foster-Miller ] VIA [ Danger Room ]
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Category: Military
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