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BEAR Battlefield Extraction and Retrieval Robot Country: USA Manufacturer: Vecna Year: 2006 Webpage Info

The BEAR robot is Vecna Robotics' flagship program. Designed to find, pick up and rescue people in harm's way, the humanoid BEAR robot can do what humans can't: Lift heavy loads and carry them long distances. Whether on a battlefield, in a nuclear reactor core, near a toxic chemical spill, or inside a structurally-compromised building after an earthquake, the BEAR can rescue those in need as well as or better than humans can, without risking additional human life.

The BEAR robot's patent-pending technology is a marriage of three elements: A powerful upper body controlled by hydraulics; an agile mobility platform that features two independent sets of tracked "legs"; and dynamic balancing behavior, or DBB. DBB is the capability of the robot to balance itself while on the balls of its "ankles", allowing it to stand upright while fully extended. In fact, the BEAR will be able to remain upright whether balancing on its ankles, its knees, or even its hips.

The BEAR is currently in proof-of-concept development stage. A prototype of the BEAR robot has been built and outfitted with a powerful torso and arms, together with a dynamic balancing system on two wheels. Together, the robot prototype has been able to demonstrate picking up a fully-weighted human dummy, and carrying the dummy around in its arms while dynamically balanced in an upright position for over 50 minutes without break. The tracked mobility system is currently in development.

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