WARREN, Mich. – U.S. Army unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) experts needed a medium-sized robotic system that provides a standoff capability to detect, confirm, identify, and dispose of concealed explosives. They found their solution from the FLIR Systems Inc. Unmanned Ground Systems (UGS) segment in Chelmsford, Mass. (formerly Endeavor Robotics).
Officials of the Army Contracting Command in Warren, Mich., announced a $31.6 million contract to FLIR last week to build the Man Transportable Robot System Increment II (MTRS Inc II) -- a remotely operated UGV that can find and destroy hidden explosives while keeping human operators at safe distances.
The MTRS Inc II explosives-detection system has a standard chassis and modular mission payloads to support Army engineers; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) soldiers; and special operations forces.
The MTRS Inc II provides the warfighter with a remote standoff ability to locate, identify, and clear landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the path of maneuvering Army or joint forces. It also enables CBRN Soldiers to employ CBRN sensors from a safe distance.
The unmanned ground vehicle replaces the aging non-standard fleet of robots with enhanced capabilities to clear obstacles and threats. The MTRS Inc II is part of the Army’s common modernized unmanned ground vehicles fleet, which consists of the MTRS Inc II, Common Robotic System-Individual (CRS-I), and the Common Robotic System-Heavy (CRS-H).
The MTRS Inc. II has a handheld controller that gives the operator a standoff capability to operate from on foot or from inside a vehicle; uses common hardware and software interfaces to enable a plug-and-play payload concept; and supports several different payloads.
The system also has optics within its HD camera with pan, tilt, and zoom features to identify hazards; a five-degree-of-freedom manipulator arm that pivots 360 degrees; and a wrist joint that enables the vehicle's gripper and camera to look over and down onto elevated surfaces.
On this contract FLIR will do the work at locations to be determined with each order, and should be finished by August 2022. For more information contact FLIR Unmanned Ground Systems online at www.flir.com/uis/ugs, or the Army Contracting Command-Warren at https://home.army.mil/detroit/index.php/units-tenants/acc-dta.
