Engineering:iRobot R-Gator
The iRobot R-Gator is an unmanned robotic platform from iRobot Corporation and John Deere. The 1,450 pounds (660 kg) robot is built upon Deere's M-Gator currently in use by the US Military. The R-Gator can operate autonomously, performing perimeter patrol and other missions while keeping personnel out of harm's way.[1][2] It can operate autonomously by following a map or choosing its own waypoints to reach a pre-determined destination. It can also do "follow the leader" operations to keep up with troops, be tele-operated, or driven manually if needed. In military exercises, the R-Gator has shown an ability to carry gear for soldiers to lighten their loads. It also demonstrated its capacity to carry and drop off explosive ordnance disposal robots weighing more than 100 pounds (45 kg). An R-Gator could deploy the smaller machine and provide unmanned perimeter security while the EOD robot dismantles the bomb. The first R-Gator sale to the military was to the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command for autonomous perimeter security.[3]
References
- ↑ "Government & Military - Federal & Military Sales - John Deere US". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927135009/http://www.deere.com/en_US/contractsales/fedmilitarysales/media/pdf/R-Gator_Brochure.pdf.
- ↑ "IRobot Corporation: IRobot-John Deere R-Gator". http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=141.
- ↑ Robotic Mule Vendors Seek Opportunities Outside Military - Nationaldefensemagazine.org, July 2013
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