Army Prepares 'Robo-Soldier' for IraqSource: Yahoo News
By MICHAEL P. REGAN, AP Business Writer
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. - The rain is turning to snow on a blustery January morning, and all the men gathered in a parking lot here surely would prefer to be inside. But the weather couldn't matter less to the robotic sharpshooter they are here to watch as it splashes through puddles, the barrel of its machine gun pointing the way like Pinocchio's nose. The Army is preparing to send 18 of these remote-controlled robotic warriors to fight in Iraq (news - web sites) beginning in March or April. Made by a small Massachusetts company, the SWORDS, short for Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems, will be the first armed robotic vehicles to see combat, years ahead of the larger Future Combat System vehicles currently under development by big defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics Corp.
It's easy to humanize the SWORDS (a tendency robotics researchers say is only human) as it moves out of the flashy lobby of an office building and into the cold with nary a shiver.
Military officials like to compare the roughly three-foot-high robots favorably to human soldiers: They don't need to be trained, fed or clothed. They can be boxed up and warehoused between wars. They never complain. And there are no letters to write home if they meet their demise in battle. But officials are quick to point out that these are not the autonomous killer robots of science fiction. A SWORDS robot shoots only when its human operator presses a button after identifying a target on video shot by the robot's cameras. "The only difference is that his weapon is not at his shoulder, it's up to half a mile a way," said Bob Quinn, general manager of Talon robots for Foster-Miller Inc., the Waltham, Mass., company that makes the SWORDS. As one Marine fresh out of boot camp told Quinn upon seeing the robot: "This is my invisibility cloak." Quinn said it was a "bootstrap development process" to convert a Talon robot, which has been in military service since 2000, from its main mission — defusing roadside bombs in Iraq_ into the gunslinging SWORDS.
It was a joint development process between the Army and Foster-Miller, a robotics firm bought in November by QinetiQ Group PLC, which is a partnership between the British Ministry of Defence and the Washington holding company The Carlyle Group. Army officials and employees of the robotics firm heard from soldiers "who said 'My brothers are being killed out here. We love the EOD (explosive ordnance disposal), but let's put some weapons on it,'" said Quinn. Working with soldiers and engineers at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, it took just six months and only about $2 million in development money to outfit a Talon with weapons, according to Quinn and Anthony Sebasto, a technology manager at Picatinny. The Talon had already proven itself to be pretty rugged. One was blown off the roof of a Humvee and into a nearby river by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Soldiers simply opened its shrapnel-pocked control unit and drove the robot out of the river, according to Quinn.
The $200,000, armed version will carry standard-issue Squad Automatic Weapons, either the M249, which fires 5.56-millimeter rounds at a rate of 750 per minute, or the M240, which can fire about 700 to 1,000 7.62-millimeter rounds per minute. The SWORDS can fire about 300 rounds using the M240 and about 350 rounds using the M249 before needing to reload. All its optics equipment — the four cameras, night vision and zoom lenses — were already in the Army's inventory. "It's important to stress that not everything has to be super high tech," said Sebasto. "You can integrate existing componentry and create a revolutionary capability." The SWORDS in the parking lot at the headquarters of the cable news station CNBC had just finished showing off for the cameras, climbing stairs, scooting between cubicles, even broadcasting some of its video on the air. Its developers say its tracks, like those on a tank, can overcome rock piles and barbed wire, though it needs a ride to travel faster than 4 mph. Running on lithium ion batteries, it can operate for 1 to 4 hours at a time, depending on the mission. Operators work the robot using a 30-pound control unit which has two joysticks, a handful of buttons and a video screen. Quinn says that may eventually be replaced by a "Gameboy" type of controller hooked up to virtual reality goggles. The Army has been testing it over the past year at Picatinny and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland to ensure it won't malfunction and can stand up to radio jammers and other countermeasures. (Sebasto wouldn't comment on what happens if the robot and its controller fall into enemy hands.) Its developers say the SWORDS not only allows its operators to fire at enemies without exposing themselves to return fire, but also can make them more accurate. A typical soldier who could hit a target the size of a basketball from 300 meters away could hit a target the size of a nickel with the SWORDS, according Quinn. The better accuracy stems largely from the fact that its gun is mounted on a stable platform and fired electronically, rather than by a soldier's hands, according to Staff Sgt. Santiago Tordillos of the EOD Technology Directorate at Picatinny. Gone are such issues as trigger recoil, anticipation problems, and pausing the breathing cycle while aiming a weapon.
"It eliminates the majority of shooting errors you would have," said Tordillos.
Chances are good the SWORDS will get even more deadly in the future. It has been tested with the larger .50 caliber machine guns as well as rocket and grenade launchers — even an experimental weapon made by the Australian company Metal Storm LLC that packs multiple rocket rounds into a single barrel, allowing for much more rapid firing. "We've fired 70 shots at Picatinny and we were 70 for 70 hitting the bull's-eye," said Sebasto, boasting of the arsenal's success with a Vietnam-era rocket launcher mounted on a SWORDS. There are bound to be many eyes watching SWORDS as it heads to battle. Its tracks will one day be followed by the larger vehicles of the Future Combat System, such as six-wheel-drive MULE under development by Lockheed Martin, a 2.5-ton vehicle with motors in each wheel hub to make it more likely to survive.
The Pentagon (news - web sites)'s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, also recently awarded contracts to aid research of robots that one day could be dropped into combat from airplanes and others meant to scale walls using electrostatic energy — also known as "static cling."
Many of the vehicles being developed for the FCS will have some autonomy, meaning they'll navigate rough terrain, avoid obstacles and make decisions about certain tasks on their own.
They may be able to offer cues to their operators when potential foes are near, but it's doubtful any of them will ever be allowed to make the decision to pull the trigger, according to Jim Lowrie, president of Perceptek Inc., a Littleton, Colo., firm that is developing robotics systems for the military.
"For the foreseeable future, there always will be a person in the loop who makes the decision on friend or foe. That's a hard problem to determine autonomously," said Lowrie.
TALON Small Mobile RobotSource:Global Security.Org
TALON is a powerful, lightweight, versatile robot designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance to weapons delivery. Its large, quick-release cargo bay accommodates a variety of sensor payloads, making TALON a onerobot solution to a variety of mission requirements. Built with all-weather, day/night and amphibious capabilities standard, TALON can operate under the most adverse conditions to overcome almost any terrain. The suitcase-portable robot is controlled through a two-way RF or F/O line from a portable or wearable Operator Control Unit (OCU) that provides continuous data and video feedback for precise vehicle positioning.
Built with all-weather, day/night and amphibious capabilities standard, TALON can operate under the most adverse conditions to overcome almost any terrain. The portable robot is controlled through either a two-way RF or F/O line from a portable or wearable Operator Control Unit (OCU) that provides continuous data and video feedback for precise vehicle positioning.
TALON’s payload and sensor options include: multiple cameras (color, black and white, infrared, thermal, zero light), a two-stage arm, gripper manipulators, pan/tilt, two-way communications, NBC (nuclear/biological/chemical) sensors, radiation sensors, UXO/countermine detection sensors, grenade and smoke placing modules, breaching tools, communications equipment, distracters and disrupters.
The TALON robot is used for bomb disposal. It is operated by radio frequency and equipped with four video cameras that enable troops to determine which areas enemy soldiers occupy. In addition, the TALON is waterproof up to 100 feet, allowing it to search for explosives off-land. The TALON also was used to locate victims and debris at the World Trade Center. It was developed for the EOD Technology Directorate of the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ by the engineering and technology development firm Foster-Miller.
The Talon began helping with military operations in Bosnia in 2000, deployed to Afghanistan in early 2002 and has been in Iraq since the war started, assisting with improvised explosive device detection and removal. Talon robots had been used in about 20,000 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan by the end of 2004.
The Pathfinder Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration [ACTD], sponsored by the U.S. Army Special Operations Command with the ACTD and Urban Technology Office at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center serving as technical manager, is an effort to integrate unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and unattended smart sensors into a mobile, self-forming and self-healing network. The network enhances situational awareness, command, control and communications to commanders and assault forces operating in urban areas. Pathfinder leveraged the Talon robot, which is commonly used for jobs best avoided by warfighters, such as entering a booby-trapped cave. The ACTD is integrating the Special Operations Forces Laser Aiming Module used to send a coded laser to guide smart munitions to a target. It's on the robot, so you don't expose soldiers. You can clearly identify targets without having Soldiers get into harm's way. By using a radio relay attached to it, troops can drive it out to longer and more useful distances.
Soldiers have armed robots as battle buddies by early 2005. The Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System, or SWORDS, joins Stryker Brigade Soldiers in Iraq when it finished final testing. The system consists of a weapons platform mounted on a Talon robot. It’s not a new invention, its just bringing together existing systems.
The Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and Army Special Operations Command jointly hosted a demonstration of modular payload systems on robotic platforms from 14-17 July 2004 at Avon Park Bombing Range, FL. The demonstration started with a Talon robot driving over anti-personnel land mines to place an explosive charge on an anti-tank mine, followed by a live fire of all three armament systems engaging targets out to 450 meters in single fire and automatic fire modes. Visitors to the demo watched the live fire events and then received detailed briefings on the operation of the systems.
Different weapons can be interchanged on the system – the M16, the 240, 249 or 50-caliber machine guns, or the M202 –A1 with a 6mm rocket launcher. Soldiers operate the SWORDS by remote control, from up to 1,000 meters away. In testing, it’s hit bulls eyes from as far as 2,000 meters away. The only margin of error has been in sighting. It can engage while on the move, but it’s not as accurate.
The system runs off AC power, lithium batteries or Singars rechargeable batteries. The control box weighs about 30 pounds, with two joysticks that control the robot platform and the weapon and a daylight viewable screen. SWORDS was named one of the most amazing inventions of 2004 by Time Magazine.
As of late 2004 there were four SWORDS in existence; 18 were requested for service in Iraq. Each system has cost about $230,000 to produce. When they go into production, it is estimated the cost per unit will drop to the range of $150,000 to $180,000.
While many people are fearful that armed robots will run amok on the battlefield, this was not an issue for the demonstration. The robots employ a "man in the loop" where the robots are always under the direct control of a soldier. The soldier issues commands to the robot and the small arms weapons through the robot's operator control unit. The soldier also issues commands to the rocket and grenade launchers through a newly developed Remote Firing and Control System. This firing and control system, which was developed by Duke Pro, allows a single soldier to control up to five separate firing systems using a 40 bit encryption security system.
For the Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition Role-Playing Game
S.W.O.R.D. 01
Base Power Level: [-08-] – Unlimited Power Level/Power Points
Str: [-20-][+05]
Wis: [-12-][+01]
Dex: [-14-][+02]
Point Total: [-16-]
Saving Throws
Toughness: [+10]
Reflex: [+04]
Point Total: [-14-]
Combat
Defense: [+12]
Initiative: [+02]
Range Attack: [+06]
Point Total: [-40-]
Skills
Climb [+10], Notice [+05], Search [+05], Stealth [+05]
Points: [-04-][-16 Ranks-]
Feats
First Strike, Improved Critical, Improved Overrun, Move-by Action, Power Attack
Points: [-05-]
Powers
Immunity 30 – its inanimate material composition gives S.W.O.R.D. inherent immunities to air-borne pathogens, bio-contaminants, chemical contaminants, bio-toxins, environmental hazards, etc. Its Immunity power substitutes for any Fortitude save unless otherwise stated.
Protection 10 – It’s dense material composition and fabricate alloys give S.W.O.R.D. an overall degree of protection against electricity, heat, flame, radiation, small arm’s fire, medium arm’s fire, heavy arm’s fire, explosive ordinance, and general or heavy martial arts damage.
Enhance Trait: Climbing 05 – equipped with treads, S.W.O.R.D. moves like a tank across all solid and steep terrains. Do to its engineering design, S.W.O.R.D. can stack its power Attribute with its climbing skill to determine climbing success on any terrain at an incline between 30 and 50 degrees. It loses this enhanced trait over any incline greater than 50 degrees/
Points: [-45-]
Weapons and Equipment
Different weapons can be mounted onto the S.W.O.R.D. They include, but not limited to the following:
M16 – Assault Rifle
Damage: +05 Ballistic Autofire, Critical: 20, Range: 50+ feet, Size: L, Cost: 15
M240 – Medium Machine Gun
Damage: +06 Ballistic, Autofire, Critical: 20, Range: 60+ feet, Size: L, Cost: 18
M249 – Light Machine Gun
Damage: +05 Ballistic, Autofire, Critical: 20, Range: 50+ feet, Size: L, Cost: 15
M202 w/ 6mm Launcher – Rocket Launcher
Damage: +10 Explosion, Critical: --, Range: 150 feet, Size: L, Cost: 30
Point Total: [-124-]
Hero/Villain Points: 00
Notes: S.W.O.R.D. is a modified version of the T.A.L.O.N. bomb disposal drone equipment with automatic weapons, modified grenade launcher, or any weapon designated within its current mission parameters. Used primarily in the second Iraqi Gulf War and against the Al-Qaeda and its Taliban insurgents, S.W.O.R.D. earned an efficient name in eliminating terrorists and other fundamentalists. Several unused models, possibly stolen or acquired through middlemen have ended up in the hands of freelance mercenary companies or shady freelance entrepreneurs.
Source Material - Role Playing Publications
System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Modern System Reference Document, Copyright 2002-2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Mutants and Masterminds, Second Edition, Copyright 2002, Green Ronin Publishing LLC
Mastermind's Manual: Mutants and Masterminds, Second Edition, Copyright 2006, Green Ronin Publishing LLC
Ultimate Power: Mutants and Masterminds Second Edition, Copyright 2006, Green Ronin Publishing LLC
Pictures, photgraphs, and art are the sole respective property of there owners. No challenge to ownership, trademark, or copyright is intended. S.W.O.R.D. 01 and other character concepts are the sole property of Jeffrey N. Williams, Copyright 2009.
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