CBRN Threats – Accessories for the Mobile Robots

Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements presented, for the first time in history, the new products that could be used to neutralize and act against a variety of threats during the MSPO 2015 defence exhibition. At the time, sampling accessories, along with CBRN detection devices were showcased, among other products. At the moment, the offer includes:

• Environmental swab – making it possible to draw smear samples from vast surfaces 
  in order to acquire chemical or biological material for the purpose of laboratory tests. The package includes dry and neutral-buffered, sterile sponges.

• Surface sampler – a tool for drawing ground, ice or sand samples for laboratory analysis, with a volume of up to 300 cubic centimetres. The bundle includes three different sampling units, allowing for drawing a variety of materials.

• Forensic sampler set – for drawing small samples of liquid and powdered substances, with the use of swabs and indenter units contained in the package,

• SPME Adsorber, for acquiring the chemical particles for analysis 
  with the use of a gas chromatograph. The bundle includes additional SPME fibers (e.g. for sampling narcotics or explosives),

• R-Sensor (integrated EKO-C) - the first device of the detection accessories family. EKO-C radiometer – allowing for measurement of alpha, beta, gamma and X radiation.

The above listed accessories are placed on the robot with the use of the NATO Accessory Rail holders of the mobile base of the robot. The Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements GRYF and IBIS robots are fitted with the rails mentioned above. The accessories are removed from the holders solely in case when a sampling or detection operation is carried out. Thanks to the above, the operator has a chance to use the robot’s manipulator for other purposes too. Each of the accessories comes with a dedicated transport case which, in case of SPME Adsorber and R-Sensor, may also be used for the purpose of wireless charging of the internal batteries of the said devices.

R-Sensor and SPME Adsorber are controlled with the use of an accessory console, which comes in a form of a military-grade tablet fitted with a relevant communication module. The console displays the current statuses for the devices (including e.g. battery power), along with the current measurement data. It also makes it possible to display the local map, marking the operator’s position. The console is a universal device, used to control a wide range of accessories, thus the user of a wider range of accessories uses only a single console to control all of them.

Both the R-Sensor, as well as the SPME Adsorber may be used manually, thanks to the touch-screen user interface on the housing of the devices. The interface allows the user to control the device, check the battery level and identify the device on the list displayed via the console which is usable in cases, when several examples of a single device of the same type need to be distinguishable.

The Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements plans to offer more accessories for the mobile robots soon, e.g. used for detection of CBRN contamination.  

CBRN threat accessories described here, used by the mobile robots, will be presented, along with a practical demonstration, during the International RoboScope® 2016 seminar, covering the CBRN threat spectrum. The seminar is being organized by the Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements and the SPRZYMIERZENI z GROM foundation. It is going to take place between 24th and 25th May at the Rynia WDW resort.