RE2 Robotics has been contracted to design an assistive manipulator arm to help speed-up the transfer of wounded US Army soldiers.
The company will design the low-risk, user-friendly manipulator system as part of Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme, which aims to provide a reliable transportation option for patients with severely reduced mobility.
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RE2 Robotics president and CEO Jorgen Pedersen said: "This programme is about more than developing cutting edge assistive manipulation technology. It is about empowering our service men and women who have suffered severe mobility limitations to regain a degree of transportation independence.
"This is one of the main reasons why RE2 Robotics is in business – to develop technologies that improve quality of life."
The new assistive robotic arm is intended for the Applied Robotics for Installation and Base Operations (ARIBO) automated transport system pilot project at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US.
The ARIBO seeks to provide automated, on-demand transportation to wounded soldiers travelling between the Warrior Transition Battalion barracks and the Womack Army Medical Center.
Using the ARIBO Assistive Arm, patients can be quickly transferred from a wheelchair onto the ARIBO vehicle and back to a wheelchair at the destination.
Based in the US, RE2 Robotics develops mobile robotic technologies that enable robot users to remotely interact with the world via ground, air or underwater solutions.
The company produces interoperable robotic manipulator arms with human-like performance, intuitive human robot interfaces, and advanced autonomy software for mobile robotics.
