US Army Decides On Supplier For Heavy Duty UGV
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The United States Army has recently closed a five-year production contract worth $109 million with FLIR Systems to build and ship a heavy duty UGV. FLIR’s Kobra robot has been chosen by the United States Army to serve as the force’s Common Robotic System – Heavy (CRS-H). The robot will be used mainly for explosive ordnance disposal and other heavy duty operations.
The Army was interested in a heavy duty robot that weighs up to 700 pounds and is capable of carrying a wide range of payloads and sensors to support troops during operations.
The Kobra is capable of lifting up to 330 pounds with its long robotic arm and can stretch itself to reach places 11.5 feet high. Yet the robot is also compact enough to fit in the back of most SUVs. The robot can overcome obstacles by climbing over them and if the robot happens to tip over, it can flip itself back upright without any physical human help.
The robot can be paired with a variety of payloads and sensors. It can be used to detect biological, chemical, and nuclear threats, as well as a bomb disposal bot.
“The Kobra delivers unmatched strength, power, and payload support in an easy to operate robot package,” FLIR Systems mentioned in a statement to Defensenews.com.
Last February, FLIR, a sensor and camera company, has purchased the robotics company Endeavor Robotics. This acquisition makes a lot of sense since many of the sensors and cameras that FLIR has developed have been attached as payloads into many different types of military robots. The company has also acquired Prox Dynamics, a Norwegian company responsible for creating the Black Hornet micro-drone, back in 2016.
FLIR has also competed to supply the U.S. Army with the Common Robotic System – Individual (CRS-I), a similar competition to the CRS-H but only with packable robots that weigh less than 25 pounds. FLIR ended up losing the CRS-I contract to QinetiQ North America.
As for the CRS-H program, FLIR beat QinetiQ. Kobra is also participating in an Army program that seeks for systems that can operate in underground environments.
