RE2 announces new family of manipulators for UGVs

RE2, Inc. announced today that it has developed a family of robotic arms to meet the growing demands for improved manipulation capabilities on unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for military and public safety missions such as explosive ordnance disposal. RE2 is unveiling and demonstrating several of their manipulators at the Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida this week.

"The release of the RE2 Family of Manipulators is a major milestone for the Company," stated Jorgen Pedersen, president and CEO of RE2. "We have leveraged our field-proven core technologies to develop three distinct series of manipulator arms to meet the needs of the war-fighter, first responders, and researchers pushing the envelope of next-generation manipulation."

RE2 offers three classes of innovative, power-dense manipulators ranging from small, lightweight arms to large, workhorse arms. All of RE2's manipulators provide smooth, precise tool-point or direct joint control allowing UGVs to be more efficient and effective. All three classes of manipulators incorporate the following design features that enhance adaptability and modularity: Self-contained on-board computing Support for common protocols (e.g. CAN and Ethernet) Compatibility with interoperability standards and products (e.g. JAUS and ROS) Adaptability to wide range of power systems (Typical range 12V to 60V) Ability to interface with RE2's Quick Releases for automatic tool changing capability.

"The RE2 design philosophy is to create novel and practical solutions that maximize capability at a reasonable cost," stated Keith Gunnett, vice president of engineering for RE2. "The underlying technology within all of our manipulator arms enables them to be easily adapted to meet custom requirements and to be rapidly integrated onto a wide range of UGVs."

D-Series Manipulators

The D-Series of robotic arms offers power-dense manipulation for small/micro unmanned ground vehicles. Arms in this series typically weigh between three and fifteen pounds and are well-suited for robots used for dismounted operations. The dexterity of these arms is typically between one and four degrees of freedom, but higher dexterity arms are available.

T-Series Manipulators
The T-Series of robotic arms provides powerful manipulation capability for medium-sized (less than 165 pounds) unmanned ground vehicles. Arms in this series weigh up to sixty pounds, perfect for robots used in tactical operations. The T-Series arms support greater dexterity, offering models with up to 8 degrees of freedom.

B-Series Manipulators
Arms in the B-Series are true workhorse manipulators, offering superior strength and dexterity for larger unmanned ground vehicles (over 165 pounds). B-Series arms weigh over sixty pounds and serve robots typically used for base/infrastructure operations.

Source: RE2

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