Army researchers test human-like robots: Soldiers Get Individual Portable Robots

Army researchers recently tested ground robots performing military-style exercises, much like Soldier counterparts, at a robotics testing site in Pennsylvania recently as part of a 10-year research project designed to push the research boundaries in robotics and autonomy.

RoMan, short for Robotic Manipulator, is a tracked robot that is easily recognized by its robotic arms and hands — necessary appendages to remove heavy objects and other road debris from military vehicles’ paths. What’s harder to detect is the amount of effort that went into programming the robot to manipulate complex environments.

The exercise was one of several recent integration events involving a decade of research led by scientists and engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory who teamed with counterparts from the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University and General Dynamics Land Systems.

As part of ARL’s Robotics Collaborative Technology Alliance, the work focused on state-of-the-art basic and applied research related to ground robotics technologies with an overarching goal of developing autonomy in support of manned-unmanned teaming. Research within the RCTA program serves as foundational research in support of future combat ground vehicles.

The recent robot exercise was the culmination of research to develop a robot that reasons about unknown objects and their physical properties, and decides how to best interact with different objects to achieve a specific task.

“Given a task like ‘clear a path’, the robot needs to identify potentially relevant objects, figure out how objects can be grasped by determining where and with what hand shape, and decide what type of interaction to use, whether that’s lifting, moving, pushing or pulling to achieve its task,” said CCDC ARL’s Dr. Chad Kessens, Robotic Manipulation researcher.

During the recent exercise, RoMan successfully completed such as multi-object debris clearing, dragging a heavy object (e.g., tree limb), and opening a container to remove a bag.

Kessens said Soldier teammates are able to give verbal commands to the robot using natural human language in a scenario.

“Planning and learning and their integration cut across all these problems. The ability of the robot to improve its performance over time and to adapt to new scenarios by building models on-the-fly while incorporating the power of model-based reasoning will be important to achieving the kinds of unstructured tasks we want to be able to do without putting Soldiers in harm’s way,” Kessens said.

This work, and other research, will be showcased Oct. 17 at the RCTA’s integration capstone event at Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center in Pittsburgh.

North Carolina — A new robot that can be transported by an individual Soldier conducting dismounted operations is being tested by the 82nd Airborne Division.

During a three-week operational test, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team’s mission was to validate the effectiveness of the Common Robotic System Individual (CRS-I).

“The purpose of the test was to stress the CRS-I in a realistic operational environment and allow for Soldier feedback on how it performs under combat conditions,” said Jeff Grable, test supervisor with the West Fort Hood, Texas-based U.S. Army Operational Test Command’s Maneuver Support Test Directorate.

The robot was designed to provide situational awareness to the Warfighter during combat, stability, and homeland security operations.

The test incorporated multiple missions ranging from Infantry, Engineer, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE), and Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

Soldiers participating in the test had to identify chemical threats, and clear improvised explosive devices (IED), all while fighting an adaptive opposing force during Situational Training Exercises (STXs).

Each STX lane challenged squads and teams as they traversed through multiple objectives during day and night operations. 

The EOD team conducted multiple site interrogations on suspected IEDs that were concealed. From defusing pressure plates to eliminating trip wires at an entrance of a tunnel complex, EOD Soldiers faced an overabundance of real-world tactical challenges.

“The test team put together realistic STX lanes that we would execute in a real-world scenario,” said Staff Sgt. Dylon Tyce, a Demolition Technician with the 192nd EOD Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD). 

The CBRNE squad faced multiple situations where they had to detect, identify, and defeat hazardous chemical threats. The squad was tested during an STX lane where they were forced to deploy the CRS-I in a tunnel complex to determine a particular chemical threat. 

“The test allowed us to practice and build efficiencies within our team,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jarayle William, CBRNE Platoon Sergeant, 2nd BDE, 82nd ABN DIV.

Infantry and Engineer Squads conducted missions that were centered on deploying the CRS-I with a live opposing force attempting to hinder their operations.

The Infantry Squad identified IEDs while searching for suspected enemy caches. They entered and cleared rooms using the CRS-I to help distinguish enemy personnel from non-combatants.

The Engineer Squad focused on route clearance operations; eliminating IEDs and triggermen.

“Having time to conduct concurrent training has been super beneficial,” said Sgt. Robert Spalding, Infantry Fire Team Leader, 2nd BDE, 82nd ABN DIV. “Operational Test Command has allowed us the time and resources to sharpen our craft.” 

“The operational test provided great training value for the entire Route Clearance Squad; realistic objectives made us proficient with our tactical tasks,” said Sgt. James Myrick, Engineer Team Leader, 2nd BDE, 82nd ABN DIV.

The Army’s Operational Test Command conducts independent operational testing to inform acquisition and fielding decisions based on the Warfighter’s voice.

The CRS-I operational test provided vital data that will inform the Army’s decision to field the CRS-I in the future.