TTC DoD Highlights: Robotics Technology Consortium Formed
New Think Tank to Speed Deployment of Military Robots
TTC e-newsletter June 12, 2009
Thousands of U.S. troops owe their lives to the unmanned ground robots used to detect and dispose of bombs in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. The demand is increasing for more robots—and higher-tech versions—that can perform missions such as entering and inspecting buildings, which are typically carried out by soldiers. But the red tape that tangles up the government’s procurement system often delays delivering new robotic technology to the battlefield, and deters smaller companies from contributing their cutting-edge solutions.
In January 2008, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued a call to the robotics industry, requesting the formation of a national consortium to help expedite the creation and deployment of advanced ground robotics. This initiative was designed to simplify the contracting process and make it easier for nontraditional defense contractors to do business with the government for the first time.
Just six months later—record time by government standards—the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) was launched with over 70 initial organizations on board, including traditional contractors, small and large businesses, and academic organizations. Members now have the opportunity to interface closely with government representatives, submit ideas for new ground robotics, and launch those products out of the labs and into theater.
The Technology Collaborative (TTC), a local economic development organization, and several Pennsylvania robotics firms, were instrumental in getting the RTC off the ground, further strengthening the state’s reputation as a national hub of robotics technology. According to Bill Thomasmeyer, executive vice president of TTC and vice president of the RTC, “The government said that if we could get a consortium formed quickly, there was a window to use current year funding to get some projects under initial contract.”
The RTC entered into an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), a flexible contract designed to draw companies without a history of working with the government into the fold. “With an OTA, the terms and conditions are pre-negotiated for the group, rather than each company having to negotiate terms on their own,” said Thomasmeyer. “So when the government decides to fund an RTC member’s project, they just have to nail down the scope of work, the schedule, the cost and they’re off and running.”
Almost immediately after the RTC came together, members submitted over 80 robotics ideas to the government, sending another 120 concepts in October 2008, to be vetted up through the ranks in consideration for funding by the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE). After seven ideas were chosen as high-priority projects, all RTC members were eligible to submit proposals for the military contracts. In April 2009, two of those contracts were awarded to Pennsylvania-based companies.
The JGRE awarded a grant to Chatten Associates of Conshohocken, PA, which develops Head Aimed Remote Vision (HARV) systems that enable operators to “see” from the robot’s point of view when it’s driven to a target. Chatten Associates received a contract to create a stereo vision system that would improve the operator’s depth perception. “One of the biggest problems now is that the view from a robot’s camera looks very flat,” said Martha Jane Chatten, CFO of Chatten Associates. “When an operator is trying to maneuver the robot’s arm toward an object that’s six feet away, it’s hard to tell how close you really are. There’s a lot of time spent lining up the arm correctly. This project is aimed at making the image more like your normal stereo vision.”
TTC member RE2, which develops manipulator arms for robots, also received a grant from the JGRE for a project to build more intuitive control into the arms. Jorgen Pedersen, CEO of the Pittsburgh company, is pleased with the opportunity to influence the technologies that will be investigated by the government in the future. “We’re still a nascent group, but hopefully the RTC will foster a successful way for government and industry to work together,” said Pedersen. “The objective is to execute work more quickly so we can get new robotic technology to the war fighter that much faster.”
According to Thomasmeyer, “This agreement doesn’t limit us to just defense robotics. Any government organization can take advantage of the consortium and award a contract to fund a project. The Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture are all starting to take an interest in applying robotics technology to their particular fields.”
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