Vecna Robotics: Research Initiatives

Robotics Research Initiatives

Vecna Robotics is committed to staying on the leading edge of robotics research. While much of the research activity at Vecna Robotics remains under wraps, there are now several projects we are excited to present:

OGRE Robot

The Omni-Directional Ground Robot for Extraction, or OGRE, is a vehicle steering system with four individually articulated wheels, producing a Powered Castor Vehicle under development at Vecna Robotics' Cambridge Research Laboratory. The OGRE's unique ability to control all four completely independent wheels at once, while keeping the center of mass solidly between the wheels, allows for steering in all directions, enabling a vehicle using the OGRE system to move as easily to the side or any other direction as it would in traditional forward or backward directions. With a single actuated arm, the OGRE and its unique mobility system is capable of performing higly dexterous digging, lifting and extraction maneuvers. Such a platform shows promise to meet the demands for hyper-agile systems that the miltary and other search and rescue organizations are seeking.

Advanced Chem-Bio Detection

In an age of terrorism and counter-terrorism, it seems only a matter of time before chemical and biological warfare becomes a common tactic used by the enemy. However, current-day threat-detection systems require large quantities of the chemical or biological agent before sounding an alarm to alert the authorities. Further, current systems are able to detect only one of dozens of deadly possibilities at a time. Vecna Robotics is developing sophisticated detection systems that can be placed on a compact robot such as the BEAR, and sent out to test small samples of soil, water, air or other elements to provide real-time warnings — enough time to remove people from an affected area, for instance. Our research is also yielding massively parallel testing systems that can test for many harmful agents at the same time, enabling authorities to quickly assess even complex threats that may arise from the presence of more than one toxin.

NRV™ System Development

As robots such as the BEAR become increasingly agile and dexterous, venturing from the controlled environments of twentieth century laboratory experiments out into the real world, Vecna Technologies is continuing to develop its NRV Robot Control System, an advanced system capable of keeping pace with such increasing demands. Vecna Robotics' approach uses novel algorithms and strategies for addressing new situations and unforeseen disturbances that characterize operation in unstructured environments. The semi-autonomous control approach under development represents a fundamentally new way for robots to plan and for humans to control robots. This approach is especially well suited for applications involving diverse terrain and many degrees of freedom.

Advanced BEAR Robot Development

Vecna Robotics is constantly devoting efforts in the research spectrum for its Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot, or BEAR, for a variety of novel applications as well as advanced capabilities for existing applications. Applications abound for adaptations of the BEAR robot for the healthcare industry as well as for non-military disaster rescue, mine rescue, police and fire rescue operations, and more. In terms of extending existing capabilities, the BEAR robot has recently undergone an upgrade from Version 6 to the new Version 7. For Version 7, Vecna Robotics has developed a vastly improved upper torso, neck and head. The new upper body features two additional degrees of freedom (DOF) for each of its arms, as well as two DOF for the neck, enabling it to have near-human like mobility. The new Version 7 arms are much stronger than those of Version 6; whereas the Version 6 BEAR was capable of lifting a payload of approximately 400 lbs, the Version 7 BEAR is capable of lifting about 300 lbs per arm. Development of a separated, tracked-leg mobility system for its lower body is well underway, and the complete Version 7 robot is expected to make its debut early in 2008.

GMI: Generic Multiplatform Interface

The Generic Multiplatform Interface (GMI) dramatically extends the BEAR robot's range by enabling it to essentially "piggy-back" on a larger vehicle (marsupial transport is the technical term) — much as a firefighter might hang on to the back of a fire truck on its way to the fire. The GMI is at once an attachment system and a standard for interfacing between BEAR-class robots and larger vehicles that are capable of long-distance travel. Built to withstand enemy fire and other elements, the GMI attaches to both the long-distance vehicle and the back of the robot, enabling the robot to conserve its internal power resources and increase the probability of success for a rescue mission by bringing the robot as close to the scene as possible. When the mission has concluded, BEAR returns to the GMI, folds up, and is easily transported to the next site.

Please visit this page periodically for more information on other Vecna Robotics research initiatives as they are able to be disclosed to the public.