iRobot [IRBT] has announced a new Mapping Kit payload for its combat-proven PackBot that will help warfighters manage search, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to officials.
“PackBot with Mapping Kit utilizes new technology that directly addresses the needs of modern warfighters and other first responders to safely gather crucial environmental intelligence without having to enter hazardous situations,” Joe Dyer, president of iRobot Government & Industrial Robots division, said in a Dec. 12 statement. “We foresee it becoming an invaluable addition to small unmanned ground vehicle operations that require fast and reliable navigation capabilities in rugged environments.”
With the new kit, PackBot becomes the first deployed robot to integrate real-time mapping and semi-autonomous remote operational capabilities, providing advanced situational awareness to soldiers who can remain out of harm’s way.
The Mapping Kit payload technology was developed after years of advanced research and development at iRobot. A state-of-the-art combination of sensors and artificial intelligence allow PackBot with Mapping Kit to relay a real-time, two-dimensional structural map of the environment it is moving through back to its operator while simultaneously detecting and avoiding obstacles in its path. Soldiers still control the robot, but PackBot can autonomously change course if it encounters an obstacle to avoid colliding with it. This allows the operator to navigate faster and smarter through unknown environments, increasing the safety and tempo of operations in time-critical situations.
As part of the development project, iRobot is designing a highly-capable 3-D Flash Laser Radar sensor for unmanned ground vehicles with Advanced Scientific Concepts, Santa Barbara, Calif. This sensor technology will enable future advances of the Mapping Kit to provide an increasingly robust and rugged mapping and obstacle avoidance capability for warfighters.