Telerob launches a revolutionary new drive concept

Starting from 2010, telerob GmbH’s second successful system will be available with a revolutionary new drive concept. Four double-coil motors enable the 80-kilo system to travel at speeds of up to 10 kilometres per hour – more than twice the previous speed: an outstanding performance for a remotely controlled, video imagery-guided vehicle.

The new drive - specially developed by telerob - is based on a kind of booster or afterburner. If one coil isn’t enough, a second coil switches on automatically. Harmonious and continuously variable, this transition takes place without interruption, jolts or turbo lag. Thanks to the high-precision gear selection capability integrated into every teIemAx, the high speed version can be controlled with the same precision and sensitivity as their normal-paced brothers.

Anybody who has attempted to manoeuvre down a narrow corridor or between parked cars knows that remote-control systems could definitely be faster, but that human operators face certain limits. telerob is already working today on systems that will help operators to perform this task, with a special focus on aides to orientation.

tEODor and teIemax RECOGNIZE THEIR SURROUNDINGS

Has this ever happened to you? You manoeuvre your EOD robot through the door of a building, turning left into the first hallway. Then, after going down the stairs, you turn right again, passing through another doorway before finally reaching the suspicious object. But just where exactly is the robot located now? How can it find its way back? No matter how many cameras you have on board, these questions are often impossible to answer. The only way to get oriented is to have a plan of the building. telerob is currently testing a system that will enable the system to create its own “blueprint”. At the recent EOD convention, we displayed a prototype of an automatic area scanner for the first time ever. The device generates a real-time map of the robot’s surroundings in order to assist the operator. It provides a good, easy-to-understand overview of the path taken as well as areas that the operator cannot see directly with the camera.

The picture shows the creation of a map of the exhibition and assembly area produced live at the hotel of the EOD convention. In the background, the operator’s cameraenabled view is superimposed. On the map, walls and solid obstacles are depicted in black, drivable space is white, unknown terrain is blue, and the path taken is red. In the lower part of the map, for example, a connecting corridor can be clearly seen, even though the robot never entered it. The prototype proved to be a major success at the EOD convention, attracting plenty of attention. Numerous suggestions for getting the most out of the new device will now flow into the series product, which is sure to be on hand at the next EOD convention as a fullfledged accessory

NEW POWER MANAGEMENT

The 2010 telemax features a brand new energy system. It is now the client’s choice whether to use a 17 Ah NiMh battery or two Li-Ion powerpacks with either 19 or 7.6 Ah. The latter also avoids the IATA transport restrictions and can be carried by every simple passenger aircraft. Charging can be done simultaneously being a new intelligent charging device which displays the current battery status and brings them back to work within short time.

SUPPLIES COMPLETE SOLUTIONS FOR PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

If you’re standing still you’re falling back. Mindful of this motto, in recent year telerob has never stopped thinking about new ways of addressing the threat to infrastructure - and developing new products. Take teIemAx, for instance, which we launched only a few years ago. Coming on hard on the heels of our highly successful tEODor system, teIemAx is specifically designed to operate in confined spaces such as trains and buses. We are now embarking on a project that represents an entirely new dimension in infrastructure security. For the first time, not only have we incorporated all the systems and equipment required by an EOD team into a single vehicle (the TEL600), we’ve teamed it with a complementary array of mutually reinforcing emergency response vehicles to create an integrated concept for protecting vulnerable public infrastructure such as power plants, hospitals, transport nodes, etc. The project, which we are carrying out on behalf of an Arab client, encompasses no fewer than 14 vehicles, ranging from a fully equipped EOD response vehicle and mobile x-ray systems featuring state-of-the-art backscattering technology to newly developed reconnaissance vehicles for detecting and neutralizing “dirty bombs” - terrorist devices that not only contain explosives but also radioactive, biological or chemical agents. The project involves a number of special challenges, including the need to network all vehicles. Data from over 30 subsystems is initially transmitted via a relay station to an on-site command vehicle, where it is recorded, analysed and transmitted to the stationary operations centre. Here, decisions are taken and orders transmitted via the same data link to the special units in their vehicles on the ground. This highly sophisticated system is expected to be fully operational by mid 2011. If it proves to be a success - and we bet it will - telerob plans to apply this innovative approach in other projects, too, thus gaining a foothold in the growing market for total solutions in the field of Homeland Security.