Towards an Autonomous Heavy Lift Robot for Field Applications

The U. S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory (HEL), in cooperation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Martin Marietta Aero & Naval Systems (MMA&NS), has developed a test-bed to study the use of robots for materials handling in the field. In June 1990, the team completed a six-axis robot capable of lifting loads as heavy as 1800 kilograms (kg) at distances as high as 9 meters. Also completed is a high level controller, based on an interactive hierarchical sensory control system architecture, capable of acquiring palletized loads autonomously from a simulated tractor trailer. This paper presents the current state of both the robot and the high level controller.