Unmanned Systems Technology 025 | iXblue DriX I Maintenance I UGVs I IDEX 2019 I Planck Aero Shearwater I Sky Power hybrid system I Delph Dynamics RH4 I GCSs I StreetDrone Twizy I Oceanology Americas 2019

49 UGVs | Insight methods were considered, the researchers chose to have the UAV wind the tether around a pole-like structure, with a grappling hook on the end to secure it in place. Further tests are planned, with additions such as tether tension control, direct umbilical power and comms from the UGV to the UAV, along with greater collaborative planning and tethered operation between the two vehicles. Defence Four T7 bomb disposal UGVs from Harris Corporation have been delivered to the British Army, as the first part of a contract worth £55 million announced at DSEI 2017 to acquire a total of 56 of the robots. The first five T7s were received in December 2018, with the other 51 to be delivered and in service by December 2020. They will replace the Wheelbarrow Mk8B EOD UGVs that have been in service with the Army since 1972. The T7 weighs 322 kg when equipped with battery pack and manipulator arm. The arm can extend up to 3.09 m above the ground or 2.2 m around its UGV platform, and the BB-2590 batteries can power the robot for up to eight hours or more, depending on the tasks involved. The range of the RF data link is up to 300 m BVLOS, which is a critical aid when working in urban environments. On the other side of the Atlantic, Qinetiq North America has won a contract worth up to $164.4 million to develop and supply a new small UGV to the US Army. A low-rate initial production phase worth $20 million will proceed over the next year or two, with annual production releases to follow annually for the remaining five years of the contract. Requirements of the UGV are that it must fit in a backpack, weigh less than 11.34 kg, and carry sensors and mission modules capable of enhancing mission capabilities for dismounted forces. It must also come with an open architecture to support a range of payloads. For urban security and counter- insurgency, the ability to throw or drop a UGV around a corner, through a window or down a steep slope can be vital for preventing unnecessary risks to SWAT teams or special forces, when a lack of forward intelligence renders them vulnerable to potential traps such as IEDs or ambushes. To that end, Roboteam is continuing development trials of its throwable IRIS (Individual Robotic Intelligence System), a 1.85 kg four-wheeled UGV capable of operations at up to 200 m line of sight. As Shane Ward, technical sales manager at Roboteam explains, a soft honeycomb wheel design on the IRIS helps it absorb impacts after it’s been thrown, and it has an injection-moulded shell to improve the strength of the body. Throwable UGVs are typically only intended to clear spaces and transmit visual information over distances of a few metres or a few rooms at a time, hence the 200 m maximum range. However, the system also integrates a mesh radio for users wanting to operate one or more IRISs from further away, or use it as a relay to a larger UGV further away. “We have been testing the IRIS heavily in subterranean environments,” Ward says. “We do a lot of testing to develop the correct level of strength needed while keeping the system lightweight and low-cost. “A key distinguishing feature of the IRIS is the dual side operation. No matter which side the IRIS lands on, the EO video and controls will operate normally, and if the system flips at any time it will automatically invert the video and controls.” The IRIS also comes with an IR camera, a laser pointer and audio sensors, information from which is fed back to the ROCU-7 ruggedised GCS, as is data from other payloads users might integrate on the Mil-Std-1913 rail atop the hull. Conclusion As technology continues to advance, UGV helpers will doubtless become a familiar sight in towns and cities in the future, in troubled as well as peaceful times. Unmanned Systems Technology | April/May 2019 T7 bomb disposal UGVs have been delivered by Harris Corporation to the British Army, to replace its ageing Wheelbarrow Mk8B vehicles