| MOBILE ROBOTS FOR DETECTING AND DESTROYING EXPLOSIVE DEVICES
MASLOV Oleg Aleksandrovich MOBILE ROBOTS FOR DETECTING AND DESTROYING EXPLOSIVE DEVICES Among the many activities to ensure the safety and security of society, issues related to the prevention of terrorist attacks using explosive devices (ED) aimed at the destruction and intimidation of civilians, as well as the destruction of objects of human activity occupy a particularly important place. Such crimes force specialists around the world to look for effective ways to combat and counteract, one of which is the development of mobile robots (MR) designed to detect and destroy ED. It should be noted that the tasks of designing and creating such robots are quite successfully solved by foreign developers, as evidenced by the wide range of special equipment they offer (Andros Mk V A, Wheelbarrow Mk7, RODE, Castor, Hobo, etc.). The advanced development of robotic equipment abroad is primarily due to extensive experience in counterterrorism. For modern Russia, such experience is relatively small. However, the events of recent years have forced domestic specialists to concentrate their efforts in the field of designing special-purpose mobile robots in order to eliminate the technical vacuum that has arisen. In a short period of time, a number of domestic models of robotic equipment have appeared, differing in class, purpose, and composition of the actuator equipment (MRK-01, MRK-25, Scorpion, Antiterrorist, Razvedchik, Bogomol, etc.). The listed examples of Russian production include the MR “Vezdekhod-TM3” and “Varan”, which are the result of joint cooperation of specialists from various fields.
Mobile robot “Vezdekhod-TM3” “Vezdekhod-TM3” (photo 1) is an ultra-light class robot, the main purpose of which is visual and acoustic reconnaissance of terrain, premises, vehicles, inspection of hard-to-reach places, detection and destruction of explosive devices. These are mobile, small-sized robots equipped with lightweight and quickly removable working equipment.
“Vesdekhod-TM3” includes a portable remote control (PRC), a wheeled vehicle (TV), working equipment – a manipulator (MN), guidance mechanisms, a VU destroyer and a VU hydraulic destroyer. The vehicle is a three-axle all-wheel drive wheeled vehicle that serves as a means of delivering working equipment to the site of the operation. The choice of a wheeled mover (KD) is due to a number of factors:
«Vesdekhod-TM3» is capable of moving on slightly rugged terrain at a speed of up to 1 m/s, overcoming threshold obstacles up to 100 mm high, water obstacles up to 100 mm deep, moving on snow and grass 50 and 100 mm high, respectively. To improve maneuverability and operation of the MR in confined spaces (inside buildings and structures), an onboard turning method is used. Inside the vehicle there are APS, actuators of the KD and elements of the onboard remote control system (BSDU), reliably protected from external destructive effects. The working equipment of the MR includes a manipulator (MP), which has two degrees of freedom, two-stage mechanisms for aiming video cameras and a hydrodynamic destroyer. The extension of the MP telescopic rod allows you to inspect hard-to-reach places (the bottom of a car, trash cans, etc.), examine and destroy objects located at a height of up to 1.2 m from the supporting surface. The MR is controlled from the remote control (photo 2), which contains the controls, and on the front panel there is a color display showing the state of the environment in which the robot operates. The overview video camera allows the operator to orient the vehicle as it moves along the support surface, and the video camera mounted on the telescopic rod is used to inspect suspicious objects and aim the hydrodynamic destroyer. The control system allows the operator to remotely control the MR at a distance of up to 600 m when operating via a radio channel and up to 75 m when operating via a cable. Cable control is used when operating with a radio interference generator, as well as for operation in conditions where radio control is difficult or impossible. The main technical characteristics are given in Table. 1. Table 1. Main technical characteristics of the MR “Vesdekhod-TM3”
The destruction of the explosive device is carried out by a hydrodynamic shot (a jet of liquid), while the speed of the shot exceeds the detonation speed of the explosive device, which allows you to save the robot, avoiding an explosion. In addition to the hydrodynamic destroyer, you can use a blasting container located in front of the vehicle. The operator brings the vehicle to a suspicious object, drops the container, takes the MR to a safe distance, and then detonates it. Despite the small range of actuator equipment, the MR «Vesdekhod-TM3» has a number of significant advantages:
“Vesdekhod-TM3” has proven itself in real operating conditions as a simple, unpretentious and reliable robot capable of quickly solving problems related to the detection and destruction of explosive devices. Promising areas for its improvement include increasing the profile and support cross-country ability of the vehicle, as well as expanding the composition of the working equipment.
Mobile robot “Varan” “Varan” (photo 3) is a universal light-class robot designed to solve the following problems:
«Varan» consists of a tracked vehicle, working equipment (manipulator, VU destroyers, additional equipment), and a remote control. One of the main elements of the mobile robot is a vehicle. The capabilities of the tracked mover in terms of cross-country ability and traction and transport characteristics significantly expand the scope of application and functionality of the robot as a whole. High cross-country ability allows overcoming flights of stairs, threshold obstacles up to 200 mm high, water obstacles up to 100 mm deep, moving on snow up to 150 mm high, and traction characteristics allow solving problems associated with the delivery of heavy working equipment and transportation of goods. The vehicle body is used both for installing working equipment and for placing and reliably protecting the mover drives, BSDU elements, AIP. The main element of the robot's working equipment is a manipulator with five degrees of freedom and a gripper on the end link for working with objects under study and fixing special equipment. The high load capacity of the MN allows moving and transporting large-sized objects, freeing up space for searching and neutralizing explosive devices. The robot is controlled from a portable control panel, which contains the controls, and on the front panel there is a color display that shows the state of the environment in which the robot operates. The control system allows the operator to remotely control the robot at a distance of up to 1000 m when working via radio and up to 200 m when working via cable. However, unlike the All-Terrain Vehicle, the Varan television system has been significantly expanded to include television installations (guidance mechanisms and video cameras) and video units (video cameras fixed to the vehicle body and grip), which greatly simplifies the operator's work. For detailed examination of suspicious objects, the television system includes video cameras with a zoom lens. In addition to the main video surveillance system, an external system delivered by the MR to the operation site can be used as an auxiliary one. The main technical characteristics of the Varan MR are presented in Table 2. Table 2. Main technical characteristics of the Varan MR
“Varan” is equipped with additional equipment that allows:
«Varan» can be used not only for the disposal of explosive devices, but also as a basis for the creation of mobile robots for extinguishing fires, the consequences of chemical contamination of the area, clearing rubble in radioactively contaminated areas, etc. In conclusion, it should be noted that on the basis of the MR «Varan» and «Vesdekhod-TM3» it is possible to create a mobile explosive-technical complex that combines the main advantages of each model:
The core of such a complex should be the universal mobile robot «Varan», and «Vesdekhod-TM3» can serve as an auxiliary reconnaissance robot. |
