A Small Rolling Spy for the Marines
May 24, 2002 -- High-flying, unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) have helped soldiers spot and fight terrorists in Afghanistan's hilly terrain. But some military planners believe that UAVs won't be as useful in future battles — especially those that will take place in urban landscapes and buildings.
In such confined spaces, soldiers would be more concerned with more immediate dangers — such as threats around the next corner, as well as what's behind the building across the street.
So instead of high-flying UAVs, many researchers and military planners have been thinking more down to earth.
Enter the Dragon Runner.
Designed by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in Quantico, Va., the Dragon Runner is a flat, remote-controlled dune buggy that resembles the type of toy found at many hobby shops.
Just like a UAV, the mini-buggy contains radio gear and a camera that allows a soldier to wirelessly control the vehicle and spy out suspicious areas from safe distances.
Video Game Controls
But since the Marines designed the remote-controlled buggy specifically for urban combat situations, the Dragon Runner is unique from other robo-vehicles.
Built by a team of researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, Dragon Runner contains software that makes it extremely easy to operate.
According to Major Greg Heines, a Marine attached to the Warfighting Lab project, the remote control unit for Dragon Runner resembles those found on most handheld video game systems. "Most of the 18- and 19-year old Marines will pick up [how to drive it] in a few minutes," he says. "Heck, I'm almost 40 and I have no problems."
Toss 'n' Go or Sit 'n' Watch
Another interesting feature: The Dragon Runner has a flexible handle at the back that allows the nine pound robot to be thrown through a window, over a wall or up a flight of stairs. But its shape — broad and flat with big bouncy wheels at the four corners — will almost always force the vehicle to land with all its wheels on the ground.
Software and sensors inside the vehicle determine which way is "up" and "flip" the video signals from the camera so a soldier always see a properly oriented picture. The robot also automatically adjusts the controls so that when a soldier pushes "forward" on the control, it knows which way to go.
And the Dragon Runner is fast, rugged and mobile. Heines says in tests, the prototype's electric motors can zip along at about 20 miles per hour up to a range of 500 meters. "It's been dropped from two stories up, it's been tossed up stairs, it's hopped [sidewalk] curbs… This thing is a kick," says Heines.
While the Dragon Runner was designed primarily as a mobile scout, Heines says the robot can also act like a "guard dragon." Sensors in the front and sides of the device can detect motion up to 30 feet away. "When it detects movement, the handheld control will vibrate like a cell phone and a female voice will alert the Marine of an intruder," says Heines.
Trial by Simulated Fire
Heines also notes that an entire Dragon Runner system — including the remote control and video monitors — weighs about 16 pounds and can fit entirely within a Marine's backpack. And since the robot is built from commonly available parts and technology, an entire Dragon Runner setup would "cost less than $3,000" once the systems are mass produced.
The Dragon Runner has been in development for more than a year but will undergo field-testing at Millennium Challenge 2002, a military exercise involving all the branches of the armed forces. At those maneuvers, to be held in August in California, Heines says the Warfighting Lab hopes to equip a regular Marine unit with Dragon Runners and see how well soldiers and machines perform in a stressful urban warfare simulation.
If the trials are a success and approval is given, Heines says the Marines Corps hopes to equip every squad of Marines with one Dragon Runner within a year or two.