Land Forces
Fenix - New Portable Robot Designed By PIAP
Fot. NASA
Fenix backpack-deployed robot is the latest design developed by PIAP (Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements). The purpose of the robot is to realize reconnaissance and bomb disposal tasks, also in the areas unavailable for the personnel. With its mass of 15 kilograms, the vehicle is capable of operating for up to 6 hours, moving at speeds of up to 10 kilometres per hour.
Fenix has been premièred during the MSPO 2015 exhibition in Kielce, where it was presented together with a multi-functional arm, light remote control module and with a specially designed backpack, for the purpose of carrying the whole system. Depending on the used elements, the arm may increase the weight of the system up to 20 kilograms. However, the robot stills acts as a light, highly mobile unmanned vehicle with small dimensions and mass. The robot is equipped with day- and night-time forward- and backward-looking optronic sensors, together with a microphone and a speaker. Additionally, the system may also be equipped with a manipulator and movable head, capable of carrying mass of up to 1.5 kilograms and of reaching objects displaced up to 1 meter away.
Track-wheel based drive-train and the front stabilizers make it possible for the robot to go over a variety of obstacles and terrain, including staircases, elevations or tree roots. Not only is the robot capable of moving on a hardened surface, but it also can move around on dirt-road, forest paths or on sand.
Top speed on hardened surface is 10 kilometres per hour, while the range within which the remote control system functions is 500 meters – this allows the operator to realize a wide scope of reconnaissance tasks. Replaceable batteries make it possible for the system to operate for six hours, without any interruptions.