Nov 8 2012
The United States Navy has ordered three Robotnik Summit XL mobile platforms from Barrett Technology, in Cambridge, MA, USA. These compact autonomous vehicles are unique because of their special triple combination of (1) independent suspension, (2) independent drives, and (3) omni-directional treads at each of its wheels, enabling unmatched speed and agility.
Robotnik Summit XL autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) with omni-directional wheels and 4-wheel independent suspension for enhanced agility.
Robotnik manufactures a range of Autonomously Guided Vehicles (AGVs), including the Summit XL-Omni, for a variety of indoor and outdoor applications. These ground vehicles have extraordinarily nimble suspension systems that handle obstacles over half the height with grace, even at high speeds (3 m/sec). Robotnik also offers a wide range of sensor and telepresence packages such as a variety of high-performance laser range scanners, Kinect for low-cost range finding, PTZ pan-tilt video cameras, differential GPS, navigation accelerometers and gyroscopes, and provisions for intuitive remote control. The underlying software is all ROS-based to support straightforward programming for customers who need it.
The design, manufacture, and maintenance of these products are international in nature. Robotnik CEO Roberto Guzmán states: "Barrett has been a solid partner for us, and so we're especially pleased with this early adoption of our vehicles by the United States Navy." Barrett CEO Bill Townsend responds: "We're equally pleased to be aligned with such a competent engineering-driven company as Robotnik." Together, Barrett and Robotnik offer a wide selection of mobile platforms and total arm-hand manipulation, separately or integrated, for a wide range of applications.