ABP's Guardian set to enter service

A highly versatile remote- controlled bomb disposal robot with inbuilt spatial awareness is due to enter service with a NATO country later this year.

The Guardian miniature remotely operated vehicle (MROV) has been developed by Poole-based AB Precision (ABP), which employs less than 100 people but competes with some of the biggest names in global security technology.

ABP claims the device (pictured below left) has far greater capability than other small robots in its class. It can reach overhead and down into drains and, in a key development, knows its own position in relation to its suroundings. It could also be used for nuclear decommissioning, moving sensing equipment into hazardous areas and manipulating dangerous objects.

The Guardian can be fitted with various tools and payloads suitable for different tasks, powered and controlled through on-board supplies and serial communication ports. The equipment includes a high-pressure water jet, which can render an explosive device ineffective, a real-time X-ray system, a chemical agent monitor and an explosives sniffer.

The MROV travels on four independently driven tank-style track modules, which give it four-wheel drive capability.

The tracks can be turned through 360º in independent pairs, so can be made very stable when the maximum footprint is used, or reconfigured to a smaller footprint, allowing access to confined spaces. Tractor tread wheels can also be fitted to the tracks to further improve off-road mobility.

By turning the tracks on end so the robot stands on 'tip-toes' with its its multi-jointed arm fully extended, the Guardian has the ability to reach up to 2.6m to investigate or deploy equipment at height. This allows it to carry out traditionally difficult tasks such as operations in overhead lockers of aircraft or in high shelves and cupboards.

The arm can also be used along or below the ground to work under cars or in manholes and drains. ABP claims this level of versatility is unique compared with other ROVs in its class.