Sand flea - new reconnaissance wheeled robot US Armed Forces
The American company Boston Dynamics, which is known for its original developments in the field of military robots, introduced for field testing a new jumping wheeled robot for reconnaissance "Sand Flea". The robot got its name from the well-known American military insect "igger flea" - a sand flea. Like the living prototype, Sand Flea can bounce pretty high. The accuracy of jumps has been brought to the maximum in the robot, and the operator of the robot can safely watch how, at his command, he will jump into the window located on the second floor.
Outwardly, the “Sand Flea” is similar to a children's toy or to the chassis from a children's car, and in no way resembles its fellow “BigDog LS3” and “Petman” types. Technologically, Sand Flea is the next generation of Precision Urban Hopper, which was presented for review about three years ago. Jumping to a great height (about ten meters) provides a small hydraulic cylinder, which works from a can of compressed gas (carbon dioxide). Such cans are widely used in paintball weapons, pneumatic-type pistols and household siphons to create soda water. One can of Sand Flea is enough to carry out dozens of jumps to complete the 2.5 order. "Sand flea" is provided with a battery for wheel movements. The mass of a small reconnaissance robot is about 4.9 kilograms.
Such a robot in rocky, hilly or urban environments is very useful. The military have plans to provide such robots peacekeeping units in Afghanistan. You can remotely control the robot at distances up to 250 meters. When moving in height and length, the “sand flea” transmits information to the operator through the cameras available on board with high resolution. A very interesting way to perform the jump by the robot is that before the start of the jump, the Sand Flea “rises” to the rear wheels with the help of specially extended supports, and the hydraulic cylinder starts to “cocked”. The calculation of the reference angle and the required pressure in the hydraulic cylinder is set automatically depending on the height of the obstacle entered by the operator. While in a jump, the orientation of the robot is supported by built-in gyroscopes, which help it to land on the 4 wheels. The wheels of the robot are made of soft plastic. This is due to the lack of large bounces and jumps upon landing.
On the field test with the "sand flea" will go another robot - «RHex».
Outwardly, this is a reduced BigDog robot with a new principle of movement. To move around the terrain, “RHex” uses 6 rounded legs and, when moving, becomes like a cockroach. The legs are mounted on three axles. The robot is able to move in different positions, can climb into the pipes and various shelters, conducting reconnaissance movements there. Airborne artificial intelligence will enable the robot in the event of insurmountable obstacles to find a way around and achieve a given goal.
Information