Bear-faced robot developed for rescuing wounded troops, first responders

Published 12 June 2007

Extracting wounded soldiers from a battlefield — or wounded first responders from a disaster scene — may be dangerous, and a Maryland company is developing a robot to that just that

Robots are typically associated with several things — efficient design, sturdiness, and more — but cudliness and warmth are adjectives which do not typically leap to mind when we think of them. This is about to change. The U.S. military is now developing a robot which will carry wounded soldiers away from the battlefield — or wounded first responders away from a disaster scene — and the designers have equipped the robot with a teddy bear-style head. The Battlefield Extraction Assist Robot (BEAR) can lift even the heaviest of casualties and transport them over long distances over rough terrain. The New Scientist’s Dawn Stover reports that

the “friendly appearance” of the robot is designed to put the wounded at ease. BEAR is expected to be ready for testing within five years.

Today’s fire-saturated battlefield makes it more difficult and dangerous to reach a wounded soldier and carry them back. The 6-ft tall BEAR is steady on its feet and can cross bumpy ground without toppling thanks to a combination of gyroscopes and computer controlled motors to maintain balance.

The robot’s hydraulic upper body carries up to 500 lbs, and the teddy-bear face is aimed to be reassuring to the wounded solider being carried. Especially important for first responders and firemen is the fact that BEAR is narrow enough to squeeze through doorways, and it can even tackle stairs while carrying a human-sized dummy.

The current prototype inserts its arms under the wounded solider as a forklift would, but future versions will be fitted with manoeuvrable hands to gently scoop up casualties. BEAR is controlled remotely and has cameras and microphones through which an operator sees and hears.

Daniel Theobald, president of College Park, Maryland-based Vecna Technologies, which is developing the robot for the U.S. Army, says that “We saw a need for a robot that can essentially go where a human can. The robot will be an integral part of a military team.” Gary Gilbert of the U.S. Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Centre in Frederick, Maryland, said that the teddy bear appearance was deliberate. “A really important thing when you’re dealing with casualties is trying to maintain that human touch.”

There are also non-military applications for BEAR, and Vecna is working on such other potential applications, including helping move heavy patients in hospitals.