During a first-of-its-kind Repair Technology Exercise (REPTX) event at the Naval Base Venture County in Port Hueneme, Calif., participants from industry, government, and academia had the opportunity to show how their emerging technologies can help the U.S. Navy maintain mission-readiness while at sea.
From Aug. 22 through Sept. 2, the U.S. Navy welcomed Sarcos Robotics and more than 60 technology suppliers to REPTX. The inaugural event allowed us to demonstrate the capabilities of our robotic systems aboard the U.S. Navy’s Self Defense Test Ship, a 563-foot-long decommissioned destroyer that the Navy uses to evaluate weapons and emerging technologies.
Over several days, our team completed a series of real-world fleet maintenance and repair challenges on the test ship, which is an asset of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Field tests were performed on the ground and at height using the Guardian® S remote visual inspection robot, Guardian® DX teleoperated dexterous robot for defense, and the Sapien 6M robotic arm. Underwater demonstrations were conducted using the Sapien Sea Class robotic arm system, which is integrated with the VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
Challenge scenarios included inspection and repair of pipe corrosion and leakage; surface inspection, preparation, and repair; and identifying and removing underwater objects. Participants were evaluated in four focus areas: visualization, command and control aids, forward manufacturing, and expeditionary maintenance.
Throughout the week, Sarcos participated in several challenges to demonstrate the dexterity and ruggedness of its systems:
- Deployed the Guardian S visual inspection robot on the inside and outside of the ship to identify foreign objects
- Demonstrated work-at-height capabilities using both the Guardian DX teleoperated robot and the Sapien 6M robotic arm, each of which was mounted to a mobile lift platform
- Used the Guardian DX robot to remove flaking paint from a vertical surface on the bow of the test ship using the Navy’s standard rotary and impact tools, SurClean LLC’s labor ablation tool, and VRC Metal Systems’ cold spray tool
- Used the Sapien 6M robotic arm to remove peeling paint on the test ship, using an attached tool from Atmospheric Plasma Solutions, SurClean LLC’s labor ablation tool, and VRC Metal Systems’ cold spray tool
- Deployed the Sapien Sea Class underwater robotic arm system with the VideoRay Defender to inspect the hull of the test ship and perform underwater dexterous tasks, both pierside and while anchored offshore.
In addition to planned scenarios, our team was tasked with various on-the-spot challenges and was asked to use third-party tools to demonstrate specific use cases. During these exercises, our team could show how our robotic systems can help increase the performance and efficiency of Navy operations without increasing the need for additional personnel.
Interested in learning more about how Sarcos robotic systems can help you to prevent workplace injuries and enhance operations? Contact us today.