The Leader for Rugged Mobile Computing Solutions
Before it developed OCUs, AMREL pioneered mobile computing solutions. In 1989, it designed and sold the first notebook in the US. AMREL also introduced the following fully rugged firsts:
For years, AMREL's well-regarded ROCKY series
provided customized, fully rugged, computing platforms for the
military. Considering AMREL's experience and expertise, supplying OCU
solutions was a logical step.
The Integration Challenge
In 2007, an engineering design firm approached AMREL with a problem. The Robotic Systems Joint Project Office (RSJPO) had hired the firm to upgrade the Multi-function, Agile, Remote, Controlled Robot (MARCbot). The firm was dissatisfied with the existing OCU configuration, in which the radio was tethered. A peripheral radio not only increased the OCU's weight and size (a key consideration when deployed in the field), but also necessitated a separate power supply and battery, which drained logistical resources.
Unfortunately, integrating the radio directly into the computer decreased the operating range, due to the increased noise-to-signal ratio generated by internal electronics. Range capabilities were critical for the safety of the MARCbot's operator, since one of its missions was IED detection.
The RCM Solution
AMREL's Solution Engineering Team came up with an ingenious approach:
- Encased the radio in a module shielded for electronic emissions
- Design the module to be have simple plug-and-play connectivity through the computer's device bay
- Link the device bay to connector hub (Ethernet, serial, USB, etc.)
The prototype performed beyond expectations. It not only met the minimum operation range requirements, it exceeded them. After an especially successful demonstration, a project manager for the RSJPO took the unusual step of calling and saying, "I salute AMREL."
This was the first use of a Radio Control Module (RCM), a patent-pending application that would prove to be a solution to multiple problems.
The Tougher Book
After hearing of its success with the MARCbot, iRobot contacted AMREL about replacing the Panasonic-based OCUs for their multi-mission tactical robot, the PackBot. iRobot had previously secured power supplies and mobile computing systems from AMREL and knew the quality of its work.
In addition to the above mentioned advantages of the RCM, iRobot learned that AMREL's mobile computing platforms cost less than the Panasonic systems. They were also more rugged (this prompted one wit to call AMREL's computer solutions "the tougher book").
Especially significant was that, unlike Panasonic, AMREL could customize its systems and extend its guarantee to include those modifications. Since it frequently deals with the highly specific needs of the military, AMREL has made customization the core of it business model. iRobot discovered that it no longer had to deal with independent vendors for many of the required changes and that it could count on the manufacturer to back up the computing platform as it was actually deployed. AMREL was a true single-source supplier.
Today, the AMREL-supplied OCU is a mission critical subsystem of the widely deployed PackBot.
From RCM to Modular Kit
AMREL continues to apply the RCM concept to a range of unmanned systems. To date, it is the only supplier that has OCUs for multiple deployed robots (see "Current Robots").
The RCM has been used a number of radio and communication systems including FreeWave, Ubiquiti and DTC and at frequencies of 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz, 5.9 GHz and 900 MHz. A component has even been configured for fiber-optic control (this is useful when operating in a cave or underwater where radio transmissions are limited).
The RCM is not limited to mobile systems. AMREL has developed a module that communicates with AreaRAE sensor gas detectors. The military will require future OCUs to be able to interact not only with a variety of robots, but with unmanned sensors as well.
Even though the RCM concept was developed originally for the purpose of integration, it's clear that an easily swappable radio communications module expands interoperability. AMREL is currently working with system integrators to create modules that enable the operation of numerous unmanned systems as well as the monitoring of sensors. AMREL is expanding this concept to other components to create a common control capability (see "Modular Kit Solutions").