23 Jan 15. DARPA unveils upgraded Atlas robot. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has unveiled the newly upgraded Atlas robot at an event in Waltham, Massachusetts, US. Atlas is scheduled to be used by seven teams during the final event of the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), which aims to develop human-supervised robotic technology for disaster response operations. The upgraded robot retains only the lower legs and feet of the original design developed by Boston Dynamics, and has been fitted with a 3.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack for one hour of mixed mission operations and a variable-pressure pump system. DARPA DRC programme manager Gill Pratt said: “The introduction of a battery and variable-pressure pump into Atlas poses a strategic challenge for teams. “The operator will be able to run the robot on a mid-pressure setting for most operations to save power, and then apply bursts of maximum pressure when additional force is needed. “The teams are going to have to game-out the right balance of force and battery life to complete the course.” Weighing 345lb, the 1.88m-tall robot features repositioned shoulders and arms, new electrically actuated lower arms, resized actuators in the hip, knee and back, as well as a wireless emergency stop for safe operation. Three perception computers have been added for assistance in perception and task planning. In addition, a wireless router in the head enables untethered communication. As their robots have identical hardware, the Atlas teams have to differentiate themselves through software, control interfaces and strategy. The robots will be delivered with a battery emulator to the teams and are likely to be kept connected to fall arrestors during much of the remaining months of training as a safeguard against premature damage. Scheduled to be held on 5 and 6 June at Fairplex in California, US, the DRC event requires competing robots to operate without power cords, fall arrestors or wired communications tethers, and to recover and continue with the tasks without any hands-on assistance in the event of a fall. In addition, the robots have to advance on their own as DARPA will intentionally degrade communications between them and human operators to replicate the conditions they would face into a disaster zone. At least 20 teams are expected to compete in the finals. The winning team will receive a $2m grand prize, followed by $1m and $500,000 to the runner-up and third-placed team respectively. (Source: army-technology.com)
28 Jan 15. Israeli Artillery Corps now operating Hermes UAVs. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has revealed that its ground forces are operating medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): a job that has previously been the sole responsibility of the Israeli Air Force. The Artillery Corps unit, which took part in Operation ‘Protective Edge’ against militants in the Gaza Strip in 2014, is equipped with the Elbit Systems Hermes 450 UAV. The purpose of the new unit is to speed up sensor-to-shooter cycles within the ground forces, allowing for the faster and more wide-ranging engagement of ground targets. The unit will in some cases deploy mobile UAV control stations when manoeuvring ground forces into enemy territory, according to the IDF, which first revealed details about the unit on 25 January. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
30 Jan 15. Russian Chirok Strike UAS Prepares for Test Flights. The first full-size model of the Chirok (Teal) reconnaissance and strike drone is preparing for test flights. It was introduced last year at the Innoprom Expo on a 1:5 scale in Yekaterinburg. Now the full-size model is ready, sporting a wingspan of 10 meters. The Chirok is getting ready for flight tests, according to reports TASS received from the United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation, which developed the drone. The official presentation of the full-size Chirok model will be held at MAKS this year. United Instrument Manufacturing Corporation CEO