experimental physics
february 2015
BY jason wang
An Unlikely Military Robot
SOURCES
geek.com
ifls.com
popsci.com
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Some might call it a cute, militarized yoga ball.
It’s true that it resembles a roly-poly, with two ginormous, almost comical eyes growing from two faces. But this robot doesn’t merely roll around and bump into things. No - this robot, developed by American Unmanned Systems and currently being tested the U.S. Military, has the ability to perform an impressively diverse set of actions.
The Spherical Amphibious Robotic Vehicles System, or the Guardbot, comes in several sizes, ranging from 4 inches to 9 feet in diameter. This allows for many possibilities - for instance, smaller versions can roll under vehicles to check for explosives, a relatively safe and cheap method in comparison to other methods involving agents like chemical-sniffing dogs. The standard model, the 2-foot diameter model, is capable of traveling up to 6 miles per hour on land and can climb up inclined planes of up to 30 degrees elevation.
Originally designed as a possible robot for Mars, it can traverse a number of terrains, including sand, snow, grass, or mud. It can also move in the water at a speed of 4 mph, which may sound slow but is still faster than most people's standard walking speed.