QinetiQ recently extended its TALON family of robots to meet the ever-changing demands of detecting and clearing mines, unexploded ordnance and dangerous improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a safe distance.
“Our TALON IV Engineer robot, with its extra strength and reach expands the capabilities of troops to remotely clear routes, minefields or other hazardous areas,” William Ribich, president of QinetiQ’s U.S. Technology Solutions Group said in a statement.
2,500 of the company’s TALONs have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. TALON IV, like its predecessors gives troops the ability to see inside and around vehicles and other barriers, helping increase their overall safety, Ribich said.
Key features of the TALON IV Engineer robot include a full-swivel manipulator arm combined with a seven-foot reach.
This means a portable mine detector can be taken out of a soldier’s hands and mounted on the robot, so the search can be conducted remotely, the company said.
Because the arm is longer, stronger and able to swivel, the robot can now also be used to remotely search inside bins, in higher vehicle cabs and flatbeds plus behind guardrails or other obstacles.
The arm is also capable of lifting 65 pounds, meaning soldiers can clear heavy debris off IEDs remotely too.
Detection and clearance of mines is of particular importance in Afghanistan, QinetiQ said, where large numbers of landmines litter the countryside as a result of almost continuous fighting since the late 1970s injuring 200,000 people according to United Nations estimates.
The new TALON IV Engineer robot is particularly well suited to operations in the region with a longer, stronger reach, stronger grasp, and the ability to right itself, the company added.
“TALON robots are extensively used by U.S. forces and have already helped save thousands of explosive ordnance disposal and combat engineers from injury or possible death in the performance of their mission to clear mines and disarm IEDs,” Ribich said. “This new model delivers greater flexibility and means they can safely detect and deal with a greater variety of threats from a distance.”
Since its initial deployment in 2000, the TALON family of robots has expanded to include small, medium and large robots devoted to specific tasks, such as IED disposal, reconnaissance, hazardous materials detection, combat engineering support and Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) unit assistance.
New robots introduced in the last year include MAARS and Dragon Runner SUGV which the company said addresses the military’s need for standoff protection, over and above the successful use of TALON for counter-IED missions.
TALON robots are also being evaluated or used by a growing number of other military and civil customers, QinetiQ said.