After months of research, tests and hard work, Macroswiss will participate in ElRob 2006 to introduce the ultimate innovation technology in the field of robotics applied to defence.
The entry for this event is composed of two separate robots: Spyrobot MKII, a two wheel robot system based on the old Macroswiss Spybot design, and the Spyrobot 4WD, a bigger model, based on the same general components, with four wheels and a more traditional design.
Both robots are of reduced size and weight (approximately 2.5kg and 5kg) and characterised by the novel Macroswiss Flapper Wheel system, which grants a very good grip on uneven surfaces and rough terrain thanks to the extreme degree of deformability it can achieve. The flexible configuration of the wheel, which does not have any air chamber, adapts to the surface of the obstacle, maximising the friction and grip. Therefore it is possible to unite the advantages of wheel traction (speed) to the high-grip typical of tracked vehicles.
The robots are designed for tactical use in urban and outdoors environments and are entirely man-portable.
SPYROBOT MKII UGV PLATFORM
Spyrobot MKII is a UGV platform typically used in urban environment applications of tactical scope such as reconnaissance of buildings and close examination of suspicious objects and vehicles. The platform can also perform very well in broken terrain and grass (even with moderately high plants) due to the Flapper Wheel design and good torque granted by the motors.
The Spyrobot MKII has an enhanced versatility of use due to the capacity of operating in any orientation and the possibility of being tossed on the scene and surviving tough challenges such as concrete drops of over 200cm and 10m horizontal tosses.
The relatively high speed of the unit (approx 10km/h) also grants rapid exploration times both in structured urban environments and in outdoor scenarios.
The impact protection that is granted by the Flapper Wheels and the all-nylon chassis gives the UGV the possibility of negotiating staircases (climbing down) at full speed without suffering damage.
The unit can also be tossed through a window (it can break up to 5mm glass panels) for rapid entrance in areas to be searched.
The high-definition cameras help in understanding the nature of the objects facing the robot and the high-power LED lights, derived from Macroswiss mining light XMH1.2 units, give the unit the capability of operating in total darkness.
SPYROBOT 4WD UGV PLATFORM
Spyrobot 4WD is an evolution of the MKII unit with four-wheel traction instead of two-wheel. It has higher payload capabilities and better terrain-handling capabilities.
Spyrobot 4WD is a UGV platform typically used in urban environment applications of tactical scope similar to Spyrobot MKII. The unit is however characterised by better performance in off-road scenario and cross-country mobility, making it useable as an exploration vehicle to be deployed from armoured vehicles or patrol vehicles both in urban and extra-urban operations.
A typical use of this system could be represented by patrol missions in urban environments with armoured vehicles where the robot could be deployed from the vehicle (without need to exit the protection granted by the armour) and driven to crossroads or other dangerous areas to check if they are free of enemy presence before entering the zone with the armoured vehicle.
Tossability and shock resistance are similar to Spyrobot MKII and grant the same performance highlights both in terms of survivability and operational effectiveness.
In order to assure that the robots were ready for the ElRob testing a two-level approach was taken.
The first level was designing the robots with urban scenarios in mind and simulating the kind of shock and impacts the UGVs are likely to experience in real use (simulation done through FEA tools). The second level was field-testing the units in terms of physical resistance, system reliability and performance.