Military robot runs on Saphion battery

Engineers at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), a U.S. Department of Energy facility in Aiken, S.C., needed batteries to power their robot. They found a solution in Saphion lithium-ion batteries from Valence Technology Inc. in Austin, Texas.

They will use the batteries to power a small fleet of Remotec Andros military vehicles.

Andros Mark V-A1 is the largest, strongest robot in the REMOTEC family. Its 3.5-mile-per-hour speed and articulated tracks enable it to maneuver rapidly over rough terrain and obstacles, climb stairs, and cross 2-foot-wide ditches. It is designed for explosives handling, nuclear surveillance and maintenance, hazardous-materials response, and SWAT operations.

Compared to its previous lead-acid batteries, Valence’s batteries have enabled a five-fold increase in the runtime and range of the robot. Andros operators also use the communications capabilities of the K-Charge Power Systems to monitor the temperature, voltage, and state-of-charge of the batteries.

The phosphate cathode material in Saphion technology is safer and more environmentally friendly than metal-oxide cathode materials. For more information, see www.valence.com.