Titus UGV announced by Northrop Grumman
NewsOctober 19, 2012
Remotec, a division of Northrop Grumman, announced the Titus Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) on Wednesday. The multi-mission Andros robot equipped with a touchscreen control interface is equipped with semi-autonomous ordnance acquittal of dangerous materials.
The Director of Remotec’s Defense Systems Division, Michael Knopp, commented on the 27 inch, 135 pound UGV, and how it can reach 6.5 miles per hour, and detailed the design intent of the four cameras and robotic six degree-controllable robotic arm that can extend more than four feet into hazardous areas. "The real difference is in the area we're looking to go into - the HAZMAT element of this market," said Knopp. "In our product design, we've built, as we go along, hooks to ... put sensors on this platform and send it down to environments that might be explosive or dangerous: gases, chemical spills, etc."
The intelligent payloads and 3-D real-time positioning increase Titus’ ability in difficult situations such as stair climbing, and an included weapons disrupter and taser have been equipped to confront hazardous objects.
"[These tools are] something we've been talking with law enforcement," Knopp continued. "There is an issue where … tasers will time out after [I believe] 20 minutes. But we can reenergize the taser, so you don't have to worry about [it] cycling off right before you use it.