Dragon Runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dragon Runner is a military robot built for urban combat. At 9 pounds, (4 kg) it is light enough to be carried in a Marine's backpack. The original project was funded by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University. It was designed at Carnegie Mellon University while the electronics and thermoplastic shell is developed and fabricated by Automatika, Inc.
The robot has four wheels, is 15 inches (38 cm) long, less than a foot wide, and 5 inches (13 cm) in height. The robot is very rugged, and can be thrown over fences, up or down stairwells, from a moving vehicle at 45 miles per hour (70 km/h), or even from a third-story window. It doesn't matter how it lands because neither side is the right side up. However, it was not designed to drive up or down stairs on its own. Instead, Dragon Runner was designed so that it could be carried up the stairway.
[edit] Use
Dragon Runner is designed for areas too dangerous or inaccessible for human soldiers. Dragon Runner's front mounted tilting camera provides a good view. The video feed is relayed back to the master control by a wireless modem. It can save lives by giving the soldier a look around a corner where an enemy might be hiding. Dragon Runner's best environment is urban. It is not designed for use in the desert where there is nothing to obstruct your viewing.
Dragon Runner can be operated in three different modes:
- Drive Mode. The robot drives around, transmitting images back to the operator.
- Sentry Mode. Dragon Runner remains stationary, using a microphone and sensors that can detect motion up to 30 feet away. If it detects something, it will alert the operator.
- Watch Mode. The robot remains motionless and relays images back to the operator.
[edit] See also
- M.O.L.L.E. (MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment)
- packbot
