TORC wins BAA from the Naval EODTECHDIV demonstrate autonomous robotic technologies for explosive ordnance disposal.

TORC Technologies, LLC, (TORC), a research and development company focusing on unmanned vehicle systems for industrial and military clients, announced it has been awarded a 4-month contract from the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) in Indian Head, MD to develop and demonstrate autonomous robotic technologies for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) missions.

TORC Technologies will demonstrate the patent pending WaySight™ (Laser Position Designator) operator control device with its AutonoNav™ autonomous navigation system on an iRobot Packbot. The WaySight™ is a handheld binocular device with built-in sensors and wireless communications for localizing and commanding a target waypoint. The SUGV operator sights a target, such as a suspected IED, by placing the WaySight™ crosshairs on a nearby target. Once sighted, the operator depresses a button on the WaySight™ and the target waypoints are wirelessly transmitted using JAUS (Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems) to the AutonoNav™. The AutonoNav™ is a JAUS- interoperable SUGV payload that enables autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance in SUGVs such as the Packbot, Matilda, and Talon. Once the AutonoNav™ receives a target waypoint from the WaySight™, it autonomously commands the Packbot to the target waypoints.

"EOD technicians are burdened with the time-consuming and tedious task of manually driving SUGVs to and from targets such as IEDs. We believe the WaySight™ and AutonoNav™ will reduce this workload and allow the operator to focus on tasks such as IED neutralization." commented Michael Fleming, CEO of TORC