[CPEO-MEF] MUNITIONS: Robotic clearance

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Robots remove UXO from training ranges in demo


By Lindy Kyzer
U.S. Army Press Release
February 19, 2009


The All-Purpose Remote Transport System, or ARTS, is remotely operated 
and can maneuver different attachments to safely remove vegetation in an 
area that contains UXO.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 19, 2009) -- Robotic technologies 
were used to detect and remove unexploded ordnance from training ranges 
at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 10 in a demonstration sponsored by the U.S. 
Army Environmental Command.

Experts from the Army's Environmental Command joined bloggers for a 
special roundtable discussion on how the demonstration went and how 
robotics could improve safety, efficiency, and provide cost-savings in 
UXO removal.

"There's two things that we're doing," said Kimberly Watts of the 
Environmental Command. "We wanted to demonstrate to make sure that the 
equipment was actually working the way we were hoping that it would. It 
did. Yes, definitely for smaller areas. Yes, we need to scale up for the 
larger areas, larger ranges, but, you know, there are applications for 
it right now."

The command evaluated two basic robotics systems the Air Force Research 
Lab has developed: the All-Purpose Remote Transport System, or ARTS, and 
the Automated Ordnance Excavator, known as AOE.

The systems are remotely operated with attachments that can be added to 
aid with brush removal and extraction, said Gene Fabian, Range 
Sustainment Program Manager, U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center.

A third unit that has been demonstrated previously is an Advanced 
Mobility Research and Development System, or AMRADS unit. It is an 
autonomous unit that is used frequently for physical surveying because 
of its ability to run on its own based on plugged-in boundaries, Fabian 
said.

Fabian likened AMRADS to the Zamboni of hockey fame, saying its general 
pattern is very similar to what you'll see on the ice rink. But rather 
than washing away scuffs and chips, AMRADS will identify metallic 
anomalies in the area surveyed, before and after removal operations.

"We typically use that Zamboni pattern to make sure we get complete 
coverage," said Fabian. "And the data for our geophysical detection 
devices is very clean because it's very precise, fast: it tells you 
where to go. It doesn't waddle and wander all over the site like a human 
being would be, so we actually get much better data quality by using the 
robotic system."

Speed is critical for the U.S. Army, which currently has many areas in 
need of surveying and a limited supply of UXO technicians. They're 
looking at robotic removal options to make a big difference as they 
clear and maintain range sites, Fabian said.

But speed isn't the only factor - costs are also expected to be lower 
with the robotic technologies, according to Watts. They're currently 
using off-the-shelf technologies fitted with the robotics package. 
Combine that with the time savings and increased safety, robotics UXO 
removal could potentially benefit the Army's Range Modernization Program 
as well as Army clean up, Watts said.

....

For the original press release with photo, go to
http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/02/19/17105-robots-remove-uxo-from-training-ranges-in-demo/
--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org




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