Mr. Andrew P. Czop Profile

Andrew P. Czop

Electrical Engineer at Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Div

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Publications (4)

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Proceedings Article | 16 April 2008 Paper

Low-cost semi-autonomous manipulation technique for explosive ordnance disposal robots

Andrew Czop, Michael Del Signore, Kurt Hacker

Proceedings Volume 6962, 69620M (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.782082

KEYWORDS: Sensors, Distance measurement, Cameras, Video, Robotics, Robots, Algorithm development, Reticles, 3D modeling, LIDAR

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Robotic manipulators used on current EOD robotic platforms exhibit very few autonomous capabilities. This lack of autonomy forces the operator to completely control manipulator movements. With the increasing complexity of robotic manipulators, this can prove to be a very complex and tedious task. The development of autonomous capabilities for platform navigation are currently being extensively researched and applied to EOD robots. While autonomous manipulation has also been researched, this technology has yet to appear in fielded EOD robotic systems. As a result, there is a need for the exploration and development of manipulator automation within the scope of EOD robotics. In addition, due to the expendable nature of EOD robotic assets, the addition of this technology needs to add little to the overall cost of the robotic system. To directly address the need for a low-cost semi-autonomous manipulation capability for EOD robots, the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) proposes the Autonomous Robotic Manipulator (ARM). The ARM incorporates several semi-autonomous manipulation behaviors including point-and-click movement, user-defined distance movement, user-defined angle positioning, memory locations to save and recall manipulator positions, and macros to memorize and repeat multi-position repetitive manipulator movements. These semi-autonomous behaviors will decrease an EOD operator's time on target by reducing the manipulation workload in a user-friendly fashion. This conference paper will detail the background of the project, design of the prototype, algorithm development, implementation, results, and future work.

Proceedings Article | 16 April 2008 Paper

Cooperative robotics: bringing autonomy to explosive ordnance disposal robots

Michael Del Signore, Andrew Czop, Kurt Hacker

Proceedings Volume 6962, 69621J (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.782078

KEYWORDS: Robotics, Navigation systems, Explosives, Sensors, Cameras, Targeting Task Performance metric, Robotic systems, Ranging, Global Positioning System, Unmanned ground vehicles

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An ongoing effort within the US Naval EOD Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) is exploring the integration of autonomous robotic technologies onto current and future Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot platforms. The Cooperative Robotics program, though the support of the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise (JGRE), has identified several autonomous robotic technologies useful to the EOD operator, and with the collaboration of academia and industry is in the process of bringing these technologies to EOD robot operators in the field. Initiated in January 2007, the Cooperative Robotics program includes the demonstration of various autonomous technologies to the EOD user community, and the optimization of these technologies for use on small EOD Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) in relevant environments. Through close interaction with actual EOD operators, these autonomous behaviors will be designed to work within the bounds of current EOD Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP). This paper will detail the ongoing and future efforts encompassing the Cooperative Robotics program including: technology demonstrations of autonomous robotic capabilities, development of autonomous capability requirements based on user focus groups, optimization of autonomous UGV behaviors to enable use in relevant environments based on current EOD TTP, and finally the transition of these technologies to current and future EOD robotic systems.

Proceedings Article | 12 May 2006 Paper

Low-cost EOD robot using off-the-shelf parts: revisions and performance testing results

Andrew Czop, Kurt Hacker, James Murphy, Todd Zimmerman

Proceedings Volume 6230, 62301Z (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.666531

KEYWORDS: Cameras, Prototyping, Computer aided design, Surveillance, Electronics, Wireless communications, Head, Explosives, Mobile robots, Manufacturing

Read Abstract +

With the large number of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) being encountered during recent military operations, there exists a need for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) mobile robots. These robots are predominately used for surveillance and neutralization of these explosive threats from a safe distance. The nature of the mission means that these vehicles are prone to being damaged or destroyed. Current commercially available systems, although capable of performing the mission, are costly and in too short of supply to be lost or damaged in large numbers. At last year's SPIE conference the NAVEODTECHDIV proposed an alternative: a low cost, mobile robot which used commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts and was tailored to the types of missions that EOD soldiers commonly perform. The prototype of this low-cost robot, the RAMBOT (Readily Available Maintainable Robot), has been continuously improved over the past year. There have been significant improvements to the original design in the areas of communication, manipulation, and electronics. The result of this work is a final prototype design, which is currently undergoing extensive testing to characterize its capabilities. Some of these tests include vehicle characteristics such as vehicle speed and mobility, vehicle weight and size, as well as maximum effective communication range, susceptibility to temperature, manipulator load limitations, and battery longevity. This conference paper will present the design changes to the robot and fully report on the results from the test series conducted thus far.

Proceedings Article | 27 May 2005 Paper

Low-cost explosive ordnance disposal robot using off-the-shelf parts

Andrew Czop, Kurt Hacker, James Murphy, Todd Zimmerman

Proceedings Volume 5804, (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.602526

KEYWORDS: Cameras, Surveillance, Sensors, Explosives, Lead, Commercial off the shelf technology, Prototyping, Manufacturing, Zoom lenses, Computer aided design

Read Abstract +

The continuing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a rapidly growing demand for mobile robots to be used during Explosive Ordnance Disposal operations. These robots are predominately used by EOD technicians for surveillance and neutralization of explosive threats from a safe standoff distance. The hazardous nature of the mission these vehicles help perform requires them to be expendable. Current commercially available systems, however, although capable of performing the mission, are costly and are not currently available in the large quantities needed by EOD technicians. The Naval EOD Technology Division (NAVEODTECHDIV) proposes an alternative; a low cost, mobile robot using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts that is specifically tailored to perform hazardous EOD missions. The main functions of this robot are efficient surveillance and explosive threat neutralization. The use of COTS parts allows for streamlined field supportability and repair. A proposed speed of five miles per hour is a drastic improvement over many existing EOD robots and will allow EOD teams to quickly survey and assess potentially dangerous situations. The manipulator will be capable of precision placement of neutralization charges. The cost of this proposed robot is $10,000. Current commercial robots capable of performing these EOD tasks range in price from $40,000 to over $150,000. This conference paper will describe the robot design and prototyping process, from gathering requirements to fabrication and testing.

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