By Ann Roosevelt
QinetiQ North America this week announced a new large-scale robotic capability it has developed jointly with Bobcat Company, manufacturer of Bobcatr compact loaders, to counter the increasing size and lethality of roadside bombs and IEDs. QinetiQ North America makes the TALONr robots used extensively to defuse roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan that keep warfighters at a safe distance.
The Technology Solutions Group at QinetiQ North America has developed a kit that can be installed in about 15 minutes on any of 17 models of Bobcat skid-steer, all-wheel steer, or compact track loaders that are equipped with the Selectable Joystick Controls (SJC) option, the company said.
The kit temporarily turns the loader into a remotely operated robot capable of using more than 37 Bobcat-approved attachments.
The loader can be sent down-range to handle large, deeply buried IEDs that require excavation to dislodge or a bucket to lift and remove. In Afghanistan, where there are reported to be more than 100 million mines, Bobcat loaders could also be used to remotely render-safe mines on building sites.
When the mission is complete, the kit can be removed and the machine reverts to human operation.
Allowing the mission to dictate what size machine to use along with what specific attachment works best, the user can swap the kit from one SJC-equipped Bobcat loader to another.
“Kits range in price from $50,000 to $100,000 depending on the radios and control unit selected as well as the quantity ordered,” Bob Quinn, vice president of TALON operations, QinetiQ North America Technology Solutions Group, told Defense Daily. “Field demonstrations have resulted in evaluation quantities being quoted to combat engineers for route clearance and counter-IED missions.”
The robotics kit for Bobcat loaders includes seven cameras, a microphone to enable the remote operator to hear ambient sound from the cab, three different CREW 2.1 compatible radio options, three control options (laptop, wearable and table top), green and yellow warning lights to signal robotic engagement, an anti-rollover warning system, and emergency manual shut off switches on the vehicle and on the control panel that support remote restart.
The kit’s hardened electronics are rated at 156 degrees Fahrenheit to handle the solar load in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and have passed rigorous MIL-STD-810F environmental testing. Cameras include five mounted on the roof, one in the cab and one on the vehicle looking at the load. IR Illumination and thermal imaging in addition to the white lights on the Bobcat loader itself provide night vision.
“Other companies have roboticized individual pieces of earth-moving equipment, but until now, no one has created a universal kit that can quickly remotely control any Bobcat SJC-equipped loader used in the rough manner the military requires,” said William Ribich, president of the Technology Solutions Group. “The kit gives the warfighter and bomb disposal teams tremendous flexibility in a cost-effective manner, given the low cost of the Bobcat loaders manufactured in high volumes for civilian uses compared to customized robots built in small numbers just for counter-IED activities.”
Mike Melroe of Bobcat Company said, “The versatility of the Bobcat loaders coupled with QinetiQ’s expertise in remote operations, makes for a great system. The pan/tilt camera positioned where an operator’s head is normally located, along with ambient sounds from the loader, gives the user the sense of operating from the seat. Operators quickly adapt to the different controllers available to make it an effective combination.”
More than 50 years ago, Bobcat Company unleashed a way to work better, smarter, faster, with the introduction of the Melroe Self-Propelled Loader. That machine evolved into the Bobcat skid-steer loader and spawned the worldwide compact equipment industry.
Bobcat Company, headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Korea’s Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment.