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A scout robot that acts as the eyes and ears of soldiers, performing dangerous operations and working as a sentry, is on its way to Iraq for testing. The robot was designed by Hagen Schempf at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the US Marine Corps's Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. Called Dragon Runner , the rugged robot allows soldiers to gather intelligence in settings where human access is dangerous or impractical. "Dragon Runner is the lightest, smallest, most rugged readily portable robot system for remote scouting operations in existence today," says Schempf. Automated soldiers In recent years, a great deal of money, time and energy has gone into developing robots that assist soldiers in combat. These robots have been designed for such purposes as testing for chemical weapons, clearing dangerous areas and navigating terrain and obstacles more deftly than soldiers. A robot called PackBot , for example, which looks somewhat like a miniature tank, has seen extensive use in both Afghanistan and Iraq. However, it was designed primarily for explosive ordnance disposal. Tossed around The complete Dragon Runner system includes the vehicle, an operator control system and a controller. It can be deployed from a backpack in less than three seconds and has a top speed of more than 20 miles per hour. The robot has an onboard video camera that provides real-time imagery of tactical objectives and potential danger areas beyond a soldier's line of sight during the day or night. It can also operate as a sentry, using several onboard motion and audio sensors to monitor selected areas. The system is also rugged enough to be tossed over fences and up or down stairwells, and has already undergone testing in a variety of environments. "The Dragon Runner can function in loose soil with small obstacles but is most effective on relatively flat surfaces like streets and sidewalks, making it ideal for an urban, desert environment," says David Moreau, Dragon Runner project officer with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. Nonmilitary applications In addition to his work at the Robotics Institute, Schempf is a scientist at Automatika , a Pittsburgh-based company he founded in 1995 that develops robotic and automation systems. Automatika has licensed the Dragon Runner technology from Carnegie Mellon to explore nonmilitary opportunities for the system, such as civil defense, SWAT work and border protection. The robot is nearing the end of its research and development stage this year, prompting the move to send several to Iraq for real-world testing.
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