Robotics Technology Consortium Announces Research Projects
Universities, Research Labs, and Companies Innovate to Develop Future Ground Vehicle Technologies
Ann Arbor, MI., April 22, 2010 – The Robotics Technology Consortium, Inc. (RTC) today announced that the Government has awarded 19 projects funding totaling $7 Million. These teams will undertake the research required to further develop innovative technologies that add capabilities to currently deployed unmanned ground vehicles and enhance future unmanned ground systems.
The winning team leads and projects are:
- Vecna Corporation – “Advanced Hydraulic Actuation”
- Autonomous Solutions, Inc. – “Long Range Obstacle Detection”
- Carnegie Mellon University – “Online Long Range Obstacle Detection with Fused LADAR and Imagery”
- SET Corporation – “Long Range Obstacle Detection”
- Pelican Mapping – “3D Scene and Model Visualization”
- RE2, Inc. – “Conformal Robotic Hand”
- Carnegie Mellon University – “Generic Aided INS for Small UGVs”
- University of Michigan – “Heuristics-enhanced Dead-reckoning System for Small Robot Navigation”
- Think-A-Move, Ltd – “Speech Signature Based Biometric Security”
- Carnegie Mellon University – “Robotic Evaluation of Tunnel Mapping and Navigation Sensors”
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) – “Counter Tunnel Mapping and Characterization”
- Foster-Miller, Inc. – “Remote Checkpoint”
- HDT Engineering Services, Inc. – “HDT Highly Dexterous Manipulator System”
- Sarnoff Corporation – “Multi-sensor Fusion for Reliable On-the-Move Pedestrian Detection and Tracking”
- General Dynamics Robotics Systems, Inc. – “Ground Vehicle Sensor Suite (GVSS)”
- Innovative Technical Solutions Inc. dba NovaSol – “UGV Lasercomm Interrogator”
- Sarnoff Corporation – “3D Friend and Foe Detection”
- TORC Technologies – “Robotic Building Blocks for Unmanned and Autonomous Systems”
- Carnegie Mellon University – “Advanced Command and Control for High Speed Tele-Operation”
In May 2008, the RTC entered into a $170M Other Transactions Agreement (OTA) with the Department of Defense to better enable nontraditional defense contractors to undertake technical projects on behalf of the Government. Since then, the Government has awarded a total of 37 projects, worth $17M involving 47 member companies, universities, and non-profit organizations.
“The RTC model has shown the ability to stimulate innovation, encourage teaming, and get vital research projects under contract quickly” said Mr. Jose Gonzalez, Acting Director, Land Warfare and Munitions, “Because of these successes, it is being looked at as a model for other industries”.
Membership to the Robotics Technology Consortium is open to US based companies, non-profits, and universities.
About Robotics Technology Consortium
The Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) is a non-profit, industry organization created in 2008 to speed the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the Defense Department and other Government organizations. The consortium was established to meet a need identified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (OSD/JGRE). The RTC currently has a membership of 200 large and small commercial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. The RTC seeks to solicit and engage companies and organizations that may not have historically performed work for the Defense Department and other Government organizations in addition to traditional defense contractors.
About NCMS
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) is the largest cross-industry collaborative research and development consortium in North America, and is the only consortial effort in the U.S. devoted exclusively to manufacturing technologies, processes and practices. NCMS has nearly 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.