The military is designing a robotic “butler” that will provide
cover fire, ammo, food and peace of mind during combat
Posted 03.28.2008 at 1:13 pm
9 Comments
Follow the Leader An autonomous BirdDog prototype, armed with a paintball gun, uses software and sensors to shadow the movements of a soldier.
Courtesy James McKenna/SAIC
The American soldier may soon have a personal combat-ready sidekick that will fetch him essentials such as water, ammo and medicine and provide extra firepower when he’s under attack. It’s a robotic servant dubbed BirdDog that’s in the works by the U.S. Navy and the private research firm Science Applications International Corporation. BirdDog is designed to complement the military’s future fleet of unmanned vehicles, which are expected to account for one third of all ground combat vehicles by 2015.
The system will link sensors on a soldier’s body and gear to an all-terrain robot equipped with tools such as radar, GPS and motion detectors. Feeding on real-time data, the robot will be able to track the soldier’s location, ammunition stock and vital signs and then coordinate and provide support. The ultimate goal, says Bart Everett, the director for robotics at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, which oversees the research, is a robot that can reason about the actions of a human and respond accordingly.
For now, BirdDog is limited to simple tasks, such as shadowing a soldier. “We’re trying to find better ways of letting a robot know how it can help, so the human doesn’t have to babysit it,” Everett says. The next step is to field-test a system that can scan terrain and upload tactical maps to a soldier.
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looks like they duct taped a segway to a lawn tractor.
Bet if you zoom in on those pictures you'll see a guy with a remote control
This is a very good idea becuase it will give extera support where a human might not be able.
Italso keeps tabs on stuff that humans somtimes can't.
At first glance I too was reminded of a butchered Segway, but an X-2 adventure would seem the better choice over an I2 commuter. I think what we are actually seeing is a test platform designed not so much for the actual vehicle, but rather to test out the independent capabilities of a tactical mobile robotics platform. The software and programming behaviors, sensors, and independent negotiation of obstacles will have to be tested out. This vehicle is not going to negotiate stairs or debris riddled streets very well.
SAIC has a lot of projects in the works for a variety of autonomous robots, and I imagine the final version will look much different from this. This might actually be part of the PAKBOT project. Don’t forget, these devices have other potential applications such as in law enforcement, border security, and during natural disasters.
Final though. This really would remove a lot of weight from the individual soldier's pack, and the mounted weapons and sensors would give them something that could be used to scout ahead or enter a dangerous building. All the weight from spare ammo, grenades, food, water, etc would come off the soldier and allow for more body armor and provide him with improved mobility. But, I can't imagine a squad of troops moving down a street or out in the jungle with these robotic man servants tagging along behind like little golf carts.
from Winnipeg, Manitoba
Design it like a mini tank with collapsable robotic arms. It needs to be tacticle and thoes wheels dont look all that assuring for wetland or rocky terrain
Finally someone has found a practical use for a segway.
Is it just me; or shouldn’t the guy with the gun be hiding behind the robot; not the robot hiding behind the human?
BirdDog is the software not the modified vehicle it was tested on! Major difference! I'm looking forward to what the software can do when used to improve the quality of life...like say integrated onto the wheelchair of a disabled person who has minimum independent functionality.
What you're looking at is called a "Mule." The author couldn't see past that either. The SAIC technology is the software, sensors and controls that make the test platform perform. The neat thing about this, is the technology could be mounted on a lot of different vehicles. Imagine for instance you're alone in your 4wd and need a spotter to negotiate a rough section of trail. So you turn on "Birddog,"get out and lead your 4wd through the rough spot, then get back in and drive on. This is the first step that can expand to a number of great applications.