Speaker discusses use of robots in military

In the ninth installment of the University of Rhode Island's Forensic Science Seminar Series, David Audet, leader of Soldier Mobility and Mission Enhancement Team at the Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center, spoke about how robots are used in the military, and how they can be used in the disaster response situations.

Audet began the seminar by addressing the strenuous challenges army soldiers face when accomplishing day-to-day tasks. Currently, soldiers deployed in Iraq are required to carry 140 pounds of gear at a time, which is considered a lightweight load. This much baggage amounts to a high amount of soldiers developing musculoskeletal injuries very early in their deployment. In fact, 24 percent of injuries soldiers amassed in Iraq and Afghanistan were musculoskeletal. Of these musculoskeletal injuries, 62 percent were related to the spine and 20 percent were related to the knees.

"We're breaking soldiers faster than we can train them," Audet said. "If you have an injury related to your spine or knee, it's very likely that it will become a problem again in the future."

In order to get the weight off soldiers back, Audet and the rest of his team at the Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts have been building a prototype exoskeleton suit, the Lockhead Martin HULC. The HULC is a full body suit which, when worn, aids the soldier in lifting heavy objects.

The weight is carried through the system and transferred into the ground, so the soldier is not strained by the immense weight it is carrying. Currently, the HULC can carry up to 200 pounds of weight at a time.

However, the HULC isn't without faults. The HULC needs 3,000 watts of power in order to operate, and even then, its battery life is not very long. After four hours, the HULC will stop operation and will need to be recharged again. Also, walking with the HULC exoskeleton is not very easy. Audet said, the soldier will need to grapple with the robot's control in order to keep moving forward. As it is right now, the HULC is not able to adapt well to human movement.

"People joke that it's easier to pick up their loads themselves rather than operate the HULC, and that upsets me," Audet said. "I need smart kids, the future generation, to help us figure out how to marry the human and the device."

Audet also spoke about the need to implement robots in first response disaster situations. In the case of hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, the first 72 hours after the disaster are crucial in terms of finding and rescuing survivors.

After the first three days pass, the survival rate drops to zero. Robots that can be used in disaster situations would make it exponentially easier to find these survivors, according to Audet.

A robot that would help in disaster response is the DASH, a highly durable robot currently in the early development stages at the University of California, Berkeley. The robot would be able to search on land and in the air for survivors with the use of its heater sensors. In this way, the lives of those working in rescue teams would not be endanger by scouring the wreckage for people left behind in the wake of a natural disaster.

"The military has been using robots on the battlefield since the 2000s, and since then, the number has increased tenfold," Audet said. "Isn't it about time we start using robots to help save human lives as well?"

The next installment of the Forensic Science Seminar Series will take place at Pastore Hall at 4:00 p.m. next Friday. Bob Fitzpatrick, a retired FBI agent, will speak the role the FBI played in the infamous Whitey Bulger case. The event is free and all are invited to attend.