Test Bed Robot Development for Cooperative Submunitions Clearance

This paper describes the development of a team of small autonomous robots that are designed to clear a field of unexploded submunitions. The ultimate application goals are to remove the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technician from hazards associated with submunitions; to perform the mission efficiently, reliably, and inexpensively; and to record pertinent mission information, such as area searched and location of submunitions found. Four robots coordinate to search for, pick up, and safely deposit submunitions lying on the ground surface using a control strategy of supervised autonomy. A remote Pentium laptop that communicates with the robot team via wireless radio serves two purposes: (1) as an off-board processor to dispatch the robots effectively, track their performance, and record data for postprocessing and (2) as an operator control unit to permit an EOD technician to monitor the mission and intervene as necessary from a safe distance.