By Nick Gilbert
RE2 recently declared that its ForeRunner Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) has won the Endurance Challenge, Dismounted Support Category at the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) 2012 Counter-IED Robotics Challenge codncuted on June 28 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
JIEDDO’s first challenge-based acquisitions event was conducted during the U.S. Army Robotics Rodeo held from June 20 to 29. The event’s main objective was to use robotics to discover new methods that will enable creating better speed and flexibly to maneuver in the counter-IED environment. RE2 took part in the Endurance Challenge that determined the speed and capability of robots over a road similar to the terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan. RE2's ForeRunner UGV recorded the rapid phase to achieve the dismount support, Counter-IED Endurance Robotics Challenge that extends to 8.6 km.
The ForeRunner is the most rapid and stable of all the currently-available UGV class. The ForeRunner was basically designed as a high-speed scouting and inspection UGV under a U.S. Army Phase II SBIR. It integrates the speed of a small scout UGV with the physical inspection potential of man-portable tracked robot. The unique agility of the ForeRunner enables achieving incredible precision maneuvers. As an interoperable platform, the ForeRunner accommodates a variety of payloads including explosive detection sensors and manipulator arms, through its Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) interface. This improves the potential of the vehicle to quickly adapt to the mission at hand.
Source: http://www.resquared.com/