RE2 Wins Grant for Inflatable Underwater Arms
Pittsburgh company RE2 Inc. has received a phase one small business innovative research grant from the Office of Naval Research to develop an inflatable underwater manipulator arm.
For the program, the company will create a lightweight inflatable arm that can be outfitted on an autonomous underwater vehicle as a payload. The arms will be used as a part of a collaborative robotic system to aid explosive ordnance disposal divers that are neutralizing waterborne improvised explosive devices.
Similar to how ground vehicles aided EOD techs in Iraq, using manipulator arms outfitted on AUVs will allow divers to be farther away from dangerous explosives.
“Our talented engineering team has extensive experience designing and developing robotic arms for EOD robots,” says Jorgen Pedersen, president and CEO of RE2. “Underwater is our next frontier, and we are honored that the Navy has entrusted RE2 with the design of this new inflatable robotic manipulation system.”
It’s the company’s second ONR contract this year, both of which are for underwater projects.
