TORC Robotics to Tackle High-Speed Autonomous Vehicle Navigation Challenges
Cross-Platform Software and Sensor Payload to Enable Autonomous Vehicle Operations up to 100 KPH
BLACKSBURG, VA (January 17, 2012) – TORC Robotics has been subcontracted through the Robotics Technology Consortium (RTC) to develop an advanced sensor fusion system for the Department of Defense that will significantly increase high-speed obstacle detection range. This long-range obstacle detection, classification and prediction system will enhance autonomous navigation capabilities for unmanned ground vehicles operating in mission-relevant environments at speeds up to 100 KPH. The system will be capable of detecting and maintaining a variety of tracking statistics for each obstacle. TORC will incorporate these enhanced capabilities with its core autonomy framework for future availability in its AutonoNav™ product line.
To support integration with the project sponsor’s autonomy framework, TORC will develop an Application Programming Interface (API) for the advanced sensor fusion software, and build a hardware prototype capable of installation on a range of vehicles including the HMMWV and LMTV. The system fuses asynchronous and heterogeneous sensor modalities through a joint probabilistic data association approach to reduce false positive/negative data, which is essential to high-speed autonomous navigation. TORC will achieve long-range detection and classification through a combination of commercial-off-the-shelf LIDAR, radar and vision technologies from Ibeo, Velodyne, and Smartmicro. TORC will assess sensor and fusion performance at high-speed under a variety of man-made weather conditions to include rain, dense fog and snow at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) Smart Road.
“Despite recent deployments of full-sized autonomous vehicles for operational assessments in Afghanistan, most are still quite limited in their ability to operate autonomously and at high speed outside of their pre-planned scenarios,” states Andrew Culhane, Business Development Manager at TORC. “The reality is that military UGVs need to be able to operate autonomously within complex mission environments while keeping pace with the force. In order for that to happen, UGV perception technology must be capable of detecting, classifying and predicting obstacles at longer ranges while moving at operational speeds.”
TORC will leverage software initially conceptualized under a DARPA SBIR now under further research on the RTC Sensor-based Collision Prediction project. This project provides the software architecture and obstacle prediction capabilities that TORC will extend to meet the requirements for this project. The primary research platform for this project is the ByWire XGV™, a drive-by-wire controlled ground robotics vehicle.
TORC will demonstrate the new long-range obstacle detection, classification and prediction capabilities in 2012. Results of this work should open up new possibilities for deploying autonomous vehicles for missions that demand navigating at higher speeds in unstructured environments. For more information, visit TORC Robotics online or contact Andrew Culhane at 1-540-443-9262.
ABOUT TORC
TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. Leading academic, commercial and government organizations use the TORC’s Robotic Building Blocks™ product line to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torcrobotics.com.
TORC, TORC Robotics, Robotic Building Blocks, AutonoNav and ByWire XGV are trademarks of TORC.
TORC Releases OEM Version of Popular SafeStop Wireless Emergency Stop System
OEM SafeStop enables integration with third-party operator interfaces and robotic controllers
BLACKSBURG, VA (September 29, 2011) – TORC’s popular wireless emergency stop system for unmanned vehicles, SafeStop, is now available in an OEM version. This version opens the way for robotic developers and system integrators to more easily integrate the emergency stop functionality into their own enclosures and control interfaces. In the past, in-house development was the only option. Customers will receive an integration-ready transmitter board, while the receiver unit is still provided in its assembled enclosure.
Similar to the retail version, the OEM SafeStop supports pairing multiple transmitters with a single vehicle-mounted receiver and is available in all of the same frequency options: 340-400 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.3 and 2.4 GHz, with an additional 3.4 GHz frequency option only available in the OEM model. The transmitter board is 128mm by 88.9mm and can be controlled and monitored over the primary RS-232/422 interface. Emergency stops are executed by interrupting a current loop input on the transmitter board.
As part of the continued improvements to the Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate (GUSS) systems, the OEM SafeStop transmitter board was recently integrated with QinetiQ’s Tactical Robotic Controller (TRC) via the Ground Vehicle Control Module. This allows for one of the buttons on the TRC to function as the SafeStop emergency stop kill switch, eliminating the need for a dedicated handheld unit and wrapping that functionality into the lightweight, wearable operator control unit.
“Customers want to simplify and consolidate operator controls. Having a stand-alone transmitter unit for the emergency stop function can sometimes create usability issues for the operator,” says Andrew Culhane, the company’s business development manager. “It’s easy to designate a safety operator during development and system testing, but as more autonomous vehicles get fielded it’s increasingly difficult to separate emergency safety from system operation. The OEM SafeStop allows our customers to merge emergency stop functionality with new and existing operator interfaces.”
Visit the SafeStop Web page for more information, and contact TORC with additional questions or to obtain pricing.
ABOUT TORC
TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. TORC’s Robotic Building Blocks product line is used by leading academic, commercial and government organizations to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torcrobotics.com.
TORC, TORC Robotics, SafeStop and Robotic Building Blocks are trademarks of TORC.
TORC Technologies Announces Corporate Name Change to TORC Robotics
New Name More in Line with Business and Future Direction
BLACKSBURG, VA (September 8, 2011) – TORC Technologies is changing its corporate name to TORC Robotics effective immediately, the company announced today.
The company’s ownership, employees, products and services have not changed. The name change is a simple evolution of the company’s identity and better reflects the nature of its business. TORC is also transitioning the domain name of its website and email addresses to torcrobotics.com, with existing web pages and email addresses being forwarded to the new domain.
“TORC Technologies was the name we started with in 2005, with ‘TORC’ originally standing for Tele-Operated Robotic Controls. The company has far surpassed the name’s original meaning, but we have built a strong brand and reputation around the name TORC,” said David Cutter, the company’s marketing manager. “‘Technologies’ was too vague for us and didn’t communicate anything of value about our core business, particularly as we enter new markets. The company will continue to market itself, as it has for the last three years, as TORC.”
For any questions regarding the company’s name change, please contact marketing@torcrobotics.com.
ABOUT TORC
TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. TORC’s Robotic Building Blocks product line is used by leading academic, commercial and government organizations to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torcrobotics.com.
TORC, TORC Robotics, and Robotic Building Blocks are trademarks of TORC.
TORC to Showcase Blind-Driver Vehicle at AUVSI Conference
BLACKSBURG, Va. (August 9, 2011) – TORC, a leading developer of robotic technologies for unmanned and autonomous vehicles, will showcase the NFB Blind Driver Challenge® blind-drivable vehicle at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems North America conference.
The outfitted Ford Escape, which uses TORC’s ByWire XGV™ robotic research platform and other intelligent vehicle technologies from its Robotic Building Blocks product line, will be on display at TORC’s Booth 1133 Aug. 16-19 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
The vehicle was driven by blind person at the Daytona International Speedway as part of the National Federation of the Blind’s Blind Driver Challenge. The blind driver was able to negotiate hairpin turns while avoiding obstacles ranging from cones and barrels to other moving traffic.
For unmanned systems researchers, developers and integrators, the ByWire XGV™ provides an integration-ready drive-by-wire controlled ground vehicle platform with integrated safety and an onboard power management system, enabling developers to stay focused on developing advanced robotic technology.
In addition, TORC’s leadership team is participating on expert panels during the AUVSI conference:
• CEO Michael Fleming will discuss TORC’s experience in a panel called “Driverless Cars, From Conception to Reality.” Fleming will weigh in on what it takes to make driverless cars a reality, including technological advancements being made today and future plans to bring this exciting revolution in transportation to life.
• Andrew Culhane, Business Development Manager for TORC, is presenting a technical session titled “Repurposing of Unmanned Ground Vehicle Perception Technologies to Enable Blind Drivers to Hit the Road.” He will be joined by Dr. Dennis Hong, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, to discuss his research on non-visual interfaces that can provide a blind person with the necessary information to independently operate an automobile.
ABOUT TORC
TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. TORC’s Robotic Building Blocks product line is used by leading academic, commercial and government organizations to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torcrobotics.com.
TORC to Speak at National Military Robotics Conference
BLACKSBURG, Va. (May 12, 2011) – Andrew Culhane, Business Development Manager for TORC, a leading developer of robotic technologies for unmanned and autonomous vehicles, has been selected to speak at Military Robotics, a national conference featuring some of the industry’s top experts.
Culhane joins a distinguished panel sharing the latest information and insight on military robotics, an industry that’s expected to grow to almost $10 billion worldwide by 2016.
Culhane will present information about the productization of robotic building blocks to enable technology reuse for military and commercial applications.
The conference will be held June 9-10 in Arlington.
About TORC
TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. TORC’s Robotic Building Blocks product line is used by leading academic, commercial and government organizations to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torctech.com.