Rovers for Special Forces Applications

IS Robotics (ISR) will develop rovers to serve as tools for Special Forces Operators in reconnaissance applications. These outdoor terrain rovers will be small, highly mobile, and support autonomous behaviors. The rovers will act as mobile sensor platforms that will be used to obtain critical data in denied areas. Leveraging on technology already developed at IS Robotics in small, mobile vehicles and embedded intelligence will substantially reduce the cost and time of development. In Phase I, we will modify an existing microrover, developed under DARPA contract, for Special Forces Applications by increasing the man portability, mobility, and telemetry range. The modified FLIP vehicle will be a complete system that can be used in teleoperated scenarios and will provide a testbed for work on autonomous behaviors and intuitive user interfaces. Onboard processing, sensors, and a behavior based control system will allow more autonomous features to be added in the future. The modified vehicle will be made available to and supported for Special Forces field tests in which performance will be evaluated. Input regarding design improvements and additional features from end users will be incorporated into the Phase II development plan.