REX – robotic beast of burden hits the market

The military potential of robotics has long been one of the primary driving forces in the funding of research and development in the field. Aerial UAVs transformed armed conflict so dramatically that a new wave of robotic military capabilities are being readied for the battlefield in the hope of providing a similar competitive edge. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) recently began showing a battery-powered robotic beast of burden which can carry up to 200 kilograms, run three days without a recharge, and follow and respond to the voice commands of its master. Though designed for use on the battlefield, REX has myriad commercial applications in agriculture, manufacturing, and beyond.

IAI first showed the REX last month at the 2009 Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition.

REX is a relatively small robotic platform designed to accompany ground forces on operations. It can carry around 200 kilograms, and is designed to assist groups of three to ten ground soldiers on operational and logistical missions for up to 72 hours without refueling – it is a robotic “beast of burden” for the modern soldier.

REX follows the lead soldier from a given distance, utilizing technology developed and patented by IAI. Using simple familiar commands, such as “stop”, “fetch”, and “heel”, the lead soldier controls the robot without being distracted from the mission at hand. Controlling the robot in this way allows for intuitive interaction and rapid integration in the field.

Robots replacing and augmenting humans

The US military, the world’s largest purchaser of non-industrial robotic systems, plans for much more extensive use of robots in coming decades and has repeatedly said that its strategy is to use robots to perform tasks which will take soldiers out of harm’s way, and hence the creation of functional autonomous vehicles was the the first logical step. DARPA’s Grand Challenge I and II and the Urban Challenge kickstarted autonomous vehicle development with that specific purpose in mind, and military money has dominated robotic R&D funding in most other respects as well.

The potential to give the footsoldier significant robotic help has been a focus of much work in recent years with mechanical exoskeletons and mule-type machinery the most interesting areas.

The main idea is that with computers and other comms, body armor, machine guns, mortars, UAVs and other machinery continually adding to the load carried by foot soldiers, a powered exoskeleton or semi-autonomous pack mule would enable the soldier to be better equipped when it counts most.

Exoskeletons obviously offer a range of other capabilities beyond simply carrying things and will one day augment both the survivability and lethality of the combatant.

The vision is that one day, an exoskeleton will increase the soldier’s speed, stamina, range, strength, and the ability to wear and carry body armor which protects against projectiles, blast, fire, heat, steam, radiation, gas, chemical and biological agents. With additional strength, a soldier might be able to lift heavy munitions, clear debris and repair heavy machinery unaided.

Exoskeletons for soldiers promise enough strength to carry much heaver packs over difficult terrain – enough extra weight to include effective body armor, advanced communications equipment, remotely deployable aerial robots and, of course, much more firepower.

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Tags: autonomous vehicles, REX, robot, robotic beast, robotic beast of burden, Robotics, robots, uav, Unmanned aerial vehicle

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