In November, L3Harris demonstrated one such innovation at a demo day hosted by Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an executive agency sponsored by the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) dedicated to science and technology in defence and security.
Dual-Arm Payload Impresses Operators at Kineton
L3Harris has been working with Dstl on robotics research projects since 2011. The most recent project involved delivering a robotic dual-arm payload which can be easily integrated onto existing robotic systems. For this project, L3Harris developed a payload integration for the large T7 robot which enables it to use HDT Global’s Adroit® dual-arm manipulator, controlled by L3Harris’ intuitive haptic controller.
The payload provides operators with a high-strength lifting arm and a high-dexterity arm designed to handle complex missions that require a greater range of motion. This could include tackling intricate tasks such as unzipping backpacks or unscrewing the end-caps from pipe bomb improvised explosive devices.
L3Harris showcased this dual-arm system at MOD Kineton during a two-day demo event alongside several other robotic and autonomous explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) capabilities funded by Dstl. The human-like flexibility and dexterity offered by the dual-arm payload ensures threats are dealt with much quicker and more efficiently than with a single arm.
“The demo provided the ideal platform for us to gain some valuable feedback on the dual-arm system from MOD operators who expect to use it during real-life EOD missions,” said Dr. Paul Bosscher, Advanced Concept Engineer at L3Harris. “It also opened up interesting discussions about the potential applications of the capability beyond EOD, with specialists from other fields such as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives detection exploring how the capability might benefit their work.”
An additional T7 in the demo was used to display several deployable sensor applications in realistic mission scenarios.
A New Degree of Dexterity
Many EOD mission tasks can be extremely demanding, difficult and time-consuming. With L3Harris’ intuitive haptic controller, operators enjoy a seamless user experience and a wide range of motion from both arms, increasing precision and reducing task completion time. Additionally, the controller is easy to use and learn, so traditional training time and cognitive burden are substantially reduced. In fact, a human factors study conducted with the U.S. Army Research Lab and further experimental data shows the control system reduces operator workload by 20% and task completion time by 20%.
L3Harris’ T7 and T4 robots are trusted by world-leading military forces all over the world, with units deployed in the U.K., U.S. and Australia to support missions on a global scale. Learn more about these robotic capabilities here.
