DURIP High-Powered Arms, Grippers, and Improved Rapid Prototyping for Advanced UrbanExploration Robots
Abstract
We propose to purchase two different 3D printers and a coordinate measuring machine for rapid prototyping, multiple robot arm grippers, Nadia batteries, and a set of High-Powered Arms. These systems will augment our existing rapid-prototyping capabilities and bipedal work, and enable advanced manipulation research. Existing rapid-prototyping facilities are aging, and do not satisfy the current needs of active DoD projects. The single battery we will have for Nadia will limit overall runtime. The arms will provide dedicated equipment for manipulation research, including learning of manipulation, high force manipulation, and dynamically knowledgeable manipulation, which are relevant to the long-term success of the DoD.The development of humanoid robots with human-level capabilities is extremely relevant to the mission of the DoD. Humanoids can function as first responders in disasters, explosive ordnance technicians, active surveillance tools, and squad members in urban operations. To develop these capabilities, however, requires significantresearch and development into mobility, manipulation, teaming, and control. This research will be directly enabled with this DURIP.These pieces of equipment will be installed in the IHMC Robotics Lab, and will be available to researchers at the University of WestFlorida (UWF) and IHMC. The 3D printers and CMM machine will augment a number of ongoing research projects including both humanoidsand exoskeletons, greatly enhancing their use for research in a wide variety of applications beyond enhanced mobility, including perception, localization, manipulation, and human machine teaming. The new batteries will enable extended outdoor operation of Nadia. The arms will be the first set of compliant manipulators at UWF or IHMC allocated specifically for manipulation research. Improving equipment at UWF will open new avenues of research, enabling and supporting future projects and grants that are multidisciplinary bynature. It will also enable hands-on learning and research opportunities for students in a variety of departments at UWF, enhancingtheir learning experience.Additionally, the IHMC Robotics Lab and the robots and equipment it contains is featured as an integral part of the new UWF Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISR) Doctoral program. The increased capabilities of this lab will help solidify UWF as an international leader in the development of scientists and roboticists and the preeminent leader in legged robotics and exoskeleton research, with a direct eye towards fielding robots that are important for DoD and other federal missions.The acquisitionof this equipment will not only open new research capabilities, but will be used to directly enhance existing DoD funded projects, including ONR projects #SquadBot: High Performance Humanoid Robot for Urban Operations and #SquadBot v2: High Performance HumanoidRobot for Urban Exploration#, the NASA project #Mobility and Planning Algorithms for NASA JSC Valkyrie Robot#, the DAC projects #Robust Humanoid Walking and Recovery on Rough Terrain# and #Breaching and Accessing Urban Structures with Humanoid Robots#, the Army project #Supply-Bot: Extreme Mobility Supply Robot#, the DOE project #Research and Development of Wearable Robotics to Enhance WorkerSafety#, and NSF project #Occupational Exoskeletons and the Human-Technology Partnership: Achieving Scale and Integration into the Future of Work#. While these projects are led by IHMC, they support one UWF ISR faculty, five UWF ISR PhD and one Masters student. It is anticipated they will support one to two additional UWF ISR faculty and multiple students.The Nadia robot is being featured heavily in UWF funding pursuits, as will the new High-Powered Arms. The enhanced capability enabled by this DURIP will broaden the research possible, increasing funding possibilities and research directions that will support the development and education of the next generation of scientists and robotic
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 15, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412194
Entities
People
- Robert G. Griffin
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of West Florida