Foster-Miller TALON

The SWORDS system allows soldiers to fire small arms weapons by remote control from as far as 1,000 meters away

Control station

The Foster-Miller TALON™ robot is a small military robot designed for missions ranging from reconnaissance to combat.

It is a tracked vehicle said to be one of the fastest robot in the market. It can travel almost anywhere, through sand, snow, underwater (out to depths of 100 feet), climb stairs (a feat for any modern robot) and all the while showing the operator, up to 1,000m away, the world in colour, black and white, infrared, and night vision. It can run off lithium-ion batteries for a maximum of 7 days independently before needing recharging. It can also withstand repeated decontamination allowing it to work for long periods of time in contaminated areas. It was used in ground zero after the September 11th attacks working for 45 days with many decontaminations without electronic failure. This led to the further development of the HAZMAT Talon.

It weighs less than 100lb (45kg) or 60 lb (27 kg) for the Reconnaissance version. Its cargo bay accommodates a variety of sensor payloads. The robot is controlled through a two-way radio or fiber optic line from a portable or wearable Operator Control Unit (OCU) that provides continuous data and video feedback for precise vehicle positioning.

Regular (IED/OED) TALON: It carries sensors and a robotic manipulator, which is used by the U.S. Army for explosive ordinance disposal and disarming improvised explosive devices.

Reconnaissance TALON: Doesn't have the robotic arm manipulator but carries day/night color cameras and listening devices, its also lighter due to the absence of the arm.

SWORDS TALON: Another version has been created called SWORDS for small arms combat and guard roles. Tested in December 2003 in Kuwait prior to deployment in Iraq.

HAZMAT (First Responders) TALON: Becoming available in 2004 using chemical, gas, temperature, and radiation sensors that are displayed in real time to the user on a hand-held display unit. It is now being tested by the US Armament Research Development and Engineering Center ARDEC.

The robot costs approximately $60,000 in its standard form. Foster-Miller were subsequently bought out by QinetiQ a United Kingdom military developer.

SWORDS

SWORDS or the Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System, is a weaponized version being developed by Foster-Miller for the US Army. The robot is composed of a weapons system mounted on the standard TALON chassis. The current price of one unit is $230,000, but when it enters mass production the price is expected to drop to between $150,000 and $180,000. Even in cold economic terms, the SWORD is still cheaper to destroy than a soldier, who takes years and approx. $50,000 USD to get to operational status. Sergeants cost even more, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention the soldier's family and friends and the irreparable emotional damage. There is also the issue of a soldier's pension and burial, which raise the price of a human soldier even more.

It is projected to be the first armed robotic vehicle to see combat, when 18 of the robots (dubbed "Robo-Soldier" by the US Army") are deployed in Iraq.

There are a variety of different weapons that can be placed on the SWORDS; M16, 5.56mm SAW M249, 7.62mm M240, Barrett .50 cal M2 machine gun, a six barrelled 40mm grenade launcher or quad 66mm M202-A1 anti-tank rocket launcher.

On the firing range, these two-foot little high robots are lethal. With an efficiency that a human could never replicate, the SWORDS are the snipers motto, "one shot, one kill". The robot is not autonomous, but instead has to be controlled by a soldier using a small console to remotely direct the device and fire its weapons. Foster-Miller are currently at work on a "Game Boy" style controller with virtual-reality goggles for future operators.

Deployment

The Talon has been deployed in military service since 2000 being used in Bosnia for the movement of munitions and EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) to get rid of grenades. Also used in Ground Zero after the September 11th attacks in search and recovery. It is the only robot used in this effort that didn't require any major repair. Foster-Miller says that the Talon was used for a Classified mission by US Special Forces in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as in a EOD role. In Iraq its standard role has been performing EOD and IED (improvised explosive devices) destruction missions. Its combat SWORDS version is now being used their in a guard role protecting front line buildings from attack. According to Foster-Miller it has performed 20,000 EOD missions in the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

See also

• Military robot
• Foster-Miller
• QinetiQ

External links

• A New Model Army Soldier Rolls Closer to Battle
• Article about the SWORD robot
• Foster-Miller's Talon Home
• Howstuffworks' website of the TALON
• Talon.htm Armed robots soon marching to battle? The Voice
• TALON Small Mobile Robot
• FOSTER-MILLER - ROBOTS FOR NUCLEAR / CHEMICAL DETECTION, EOD, IED, WEAPONIZATION AND RECONNAISSANCE