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MARCBOT IV-N
The Marcbot project was the first prototype development activity taken on by VCSI. This project was funded by the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office at Redstone Arsenal and capitalized on a Business Partnership Agreement that NASA MSFC has put in place with Schafer Corporation. Schafer had made a significant IRAD investment over the years to develop a new communication and navigation tools that had applicable to both NASA and DOD applications. The Army funding for this activity was applied to the new VCSI Cooperative Agreement with NASA MSFC for Execution. Two key MSFC employees were assigned to VCSI as part of this project.
Pursuant to the agreement, the VCSI Team was required to develop 12 engineering models of what came to be known as Marcbot-N – the “N” stood for NASA – and 125 additional Line Replaceable Unit kits or LRUs. Whereas NASA MSFC and Schafer had the lead for the former, Applied Geo Technologies (AGT) of Choctaw, Mississippi, had the lead for the LRU kits and eventually overall production of the modified Marcbot.
The Multi Function Agile Remote-Controlled Robot, or the MARCBOT, is a small robotic platform aimed at inspection of suspicious objects during IED Sweeps. IED, or an improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb partially comprised of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery round, attached to a detonating mechanism. The MARCBOT is provided as a remote inspection platform allowing soldiers to achieve stand-off & remote observation at distances greater than 100 meters when trying to determine if an object is an IED. It is operated by a PC and is a key asset for troops in the field.
The VCSI team was asked to upgrade the robot, increase its range, visual acuity, access to FalconView and Google, provide some autonomy, and other key attributes. The new model went thru rigorous testing at the Redstone Arsenal , the Yuma test grounds, and at AGT. In the end AGT was awarded an order for 750 additional units. AGT is now in a production mode and it acceptance rates for these much needed assets has been running at 100% for the last few months – a feat in its own right.
VCSI is now working to capitalize on this project by putting together a test of interoperable systems. With some luck, VCSI will announce that initiative and conduct the test at Redstone Arsenal in the Fall of 2009.
Overall Program Lead – Marty Kress, VCSI
Technicial Lead – Dr. Ken Fernandez, NASA MSFC
Project Lead – Dr. Bruce Peters, Schafer
Product Development Lead – Kenny Hilman, AGT