The US Army has tested a new robotic system that it said will significantly help in addressing chemical and biological threats.
Called the Autonomous Equipment Decontamination System, the ground-breaking platform is designed to remotely clean military vehicles that have been exposed to hazardous substances.
Typically, decontaminating vehicles is done manually by large teams of soldiers in full protective gear. This process is time-consuming and perilous because a small leak can put human lives at risk.
With the robotic system, soldiers can scan the entire vehicle surface using the camera mounted on the platform to identify contaminated areas.
Contamination data is then relayed to operators at a safe distance, then cleansing begins using a robotic manipulator arm that sprays chemical hotspots.
“This system takes us away from the threat completely, and its buttons and controls are easy to use,” Spc. Yaleidi Escalera said. “We are the ones who will be using it in the fight, so it feels good to be able to tell the technology developers exactly what we need now.”
Design Maturation
The recent trial involved four days of familiarization and demonstrating the platform and concluded with face-to-face operator feedback with the developers.
The feedback will be used to enhance the robot’s navigation capabilities, user interface and other features, according to the US Army.
Some operators recommended refining the system’s ability to navigate around the odd shapes and hard to reach surfaces of military vehicles.
The development team was also asked to add a right click functionality on the computer interface to add more user capability.
Additionally, soldiers suggested having a manual override for the applicator arm in case not all chemical hotspots in the vehicles can be reached in autonomous mode.
“We usually never get a chance to meet the people designing the instruments we’re using as soldiers,” Sgt. First Class Joseph Bennett said. “So getting to experience the brain behind the equipment was exciting. They’re coming to us and asking, ‘Is this what you really want,’ and we get to tell them what we think.”