Ultra-rugged Soldier-Robot for Urban Conflict Missions

Abstract : The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) is currently funding the development of a mobile ground sensor for use at the small unit level that is operating in the urban environment, dubbed Dragon Runner. A preprototype evaluation unit was developed for MCWL and tested under simulated conditions in the former George AFB, Victorville, CA as part of Millennium Challenge '02. The complete system consists of a backpack-carried vehicle and hand-operated Operator Control Unit - see Figure 1. The vehicle, being the focus of this paper, is based on low-cost materials and commercial components integrated into an ultra-rugged, small and light-weight unit capable of being handled and thrown by an individual Marine in a fast and rapidly-changing urban mission. The system can operate in either a mobile reconnaissance- or sentry-mode, using its on-board pitcheable low-light video-camera (with IR illuminator) and wide-angle motion detection sensors and microphone. Its initial testing results indicated the validity of the concept and the value to the individual warfighter and small unit operation, but also highlighting the need for technology improvements in areas of locomotion, video-imagery, battery endurance and wireless control authority- all to be explored in a follow-on program in 2003.