Project number
25018
Organization
Raytheon Technologies
Offering
ENGR498-F2024-S2025
Urban and desert reconnaissance is vital for first responders, search and rescue teams, and border patrol agencies. These professionals require low-cost, customizable and durable airborne and ground-based reconnaissance systems that can be built rapidly and deployed on-site just before a mission. 3D printing is ideal for this task.
The team designed, verified and delivered configurable airborne and ground-based bots that can operate in diverse operational scenarios. The designs incorporate video, audio and low-light capabilities, as well as design features to accommodate narrow spaces, varied terrain and dense infrastructures. The bots’ abilities to navigate tunnels, operate in urban areas, and transmit audio and video in restricted areas provide enhanced visual surveillance, reconnaissance and payload delivery
while mitigating risk to operators.
Beyond hardware, the team also developed the PODBot configuration system. This is a scalable, software-driven platform that provides a mission-customizable list of parts for bot configuration, assembly instructions, graphical user interaction, and 3D printer integration. The system also provides users with control of the bots during missions, manages user input, and streams live video and audio. The team’s testing demonstrated rapid deployment capability and real-world functionality that address the sponsor’s three distinct use cases and meet the demands of modern reconnaissance and payload delivery missions.
The team designed, verified and delivered configurable airborne and ground-based bots that can operate in diverse operational scenarios. The designs incorporate video, audio and low-light capabilities, as well as design features to accommodate narrow spaces, varied terrain and dense infrastructures. The bots’ abilities to navigate tunnels, operate in urban areas, and transmit audio and video in restricted areas provide enhanced visual surveillance, reconnaissance and payload delivery
while mitigating risk to operators.
Beyond hardware, the team also developed the PODBot configuration system. This is a scalable, software-driven platform that provides a mission-customizable list of parts for bot configuration, assembly instructions, graphical user interaction, and 3D printer integration. The system also provides users with control of the bots during missions, manages user input, and streams live video and audio. The team’s testing demonstrated rapid deployment capability and real-world functionality that address the sponsor’s three distinct use cases and meet the demands of modern reconnaissance and payload delivery missions.