The company had announced last week that the government of Japan had accepted its offer to provide unmanned vehicle equipment and associated training to aid in the recovery. Use of the technology and services will allow Japan’s response teams to accomplish recovery tasks at a safer distance from hazardous debris and other dangerous conditions.
The equipment being staged in Japan for rapid, on-call deployment includes QinetiQ North America’s Robotic Appliqué Kits, which turn Bobcat loaders into unmanned vehicles in just 15 minutes. The kits permit remote operation of all 70 Bobcat vehicle attachments, such as shovels, buckets, grapples, tree cutters and tools to break through walls and doors. The unmanned Bobcat loaders include seven cameras, night vision, thermal imagers, microphones, two-way radio systems and radiation sensors, and can be operated from more than a mile away for safe removal of rubble and debris. They can dig up buried objects and carry smaller equipment.
QinetiQ North America is also providing Talon and Dragon Runner robots in Japan in case they are needed. Talon robots have previously withstood rigorous deployment and twice-daily decontamination at Ground Zero. The TALON robots are equipped with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive detection kits that can identify more than 7,500 environmental hazards including toxic industrial chemicals, volatile gases, radiation and explosive risks, as well as temperature and air quality indicators. The Talon robots provide night vision and sound and sensing capabilities from up to 1km away.
QinetiQ North America’s lightweight Dragon Runner robots, designed for use in small spaces, will be available for investigating rubble piles, trenches, culverts and tunnels. Thermal cameras and sound sensors on the Dragon Runners can provide data from up to 800m away, permitting the robot’s “eyes and ears” to serve in spaces too small or dangerous for human access.
In addition to the unmanned equipment, a team from QinetiQ North America is providing training and support to Japan’s disaster response personnel.
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