Unmanned systems, which are on the rise
in the Marine Corps, are designed to do the dull, dangerous and dirty. And now managing unmanned aircraft, vehicles
and ground robots can all be done with one controller called the Tactical
Robotic Controller, or the TRC.
“We had five different robots using five
different controllers and five different battery types,” said Gunnery Sgt.
Steven C. Sullivan, project officer with the ground combat element at Marine
Corps Base Quantico, Va. “Now, we’re trying to standardize everything.”
For the past two years, personnel at the
Marine Corps Warfighting Lab have worked on the TRC, a fourth-generation
prototype, to create the ideal controller for all unmanned assets.
“When this controller started out, it
was literally a suitcase with joystick controllers, knobs and push buttons for
every command,” Sullivan said. “Here at the Warfighting Lab, we broke it down
into a controller that works not only on this system, but anybody who has any
robot anywhere can come give us their data package, we can load it into this
common controller and it can control the aircraft.”
The TRC prototype hasn’t just
dramatically changed in size since its early days, it is now also much easier
to use.
“We designed the controller to be as
close to today’s operating systems – Xboxes, Gameboys, iPhones and everything
else – as we can get,” Sullivan said. “It doesn’t get any more complicated than
that.”
The TRC features directional joysticks
like those on any electronic gaming system controller as well as a touch-screen
display. The controller pack can be worn on a Marine’s back for easy
maneuverability. The display screen is able to show up to four camera views
from the unmanned system or can opt for single viewpoint display.
With the creation of the TRC, battalions
and units can now use the controller to manage all their unmanned assets with
one simple system, although only one system can be controlled at a time.
“The TRC, which is eight pounds of
hardware, can control close to 16 or 17 different unmanned assets from
different
vendors right now,” said Brent J.
Azzarelli, Chief Robotics Engineer for USMC/USN Programs in Dahlgren, Va.
Although many of the new robots being
developed by the Marine Corps as well as the TRC offer exciting possibilities
for Marines worldwide, the systems still have a lot of certification and
testing to go through.
“We’re going to get it to Marines as
fast as we possibly can without jeopardizing anyone’s life,” Sullivan said.
“Why give them a piece of equipment that’s going to fail them, especially when
their lives depend on it?”
For now, personnel at the Marine Corps
Warfighting Laboratory are working hard to ensure Marines receive the best
possible unmanned systems and controller to ensure Marines are protected from
unnecessary harm.
———-
By Cpl. Chelsea Flowers Anderson
From www.marines.dodlive.mil
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