Press Archive

RE2 to Develop Dual-Arm Robotic Controller for the U.S. Navy
RE2, Inc. announced that it has received a three-year, $1.1 Million Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contract with the Office of Naval Research to develop a Dual-Arm Robotic Controller for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operations. The capabilities of robotic manipulators are rapidly increasing. Next-generation robotic systems will feature two highly dexterous arms with additional sensing such as force feedback. The technology of the corresponding operator control station must keep up in order to effectively utilize the advanced capabilities of these future manipulators. As a result of this BAA contract, RE2 plans to develop an innovative and comprehensive solution for intuitively controlling a next-generation, dual-manipulator robotic system. (3/16/11)

Pittsburgh-Based RE2 Recognized for Exceptional Innovation
Tibbetts Awards honor projects that bring federal R&D from the lab to the market — RE2, Inc. announced that it has received a from the Small Business Administration (SBA) for its advanced, intelligent robotic arms and end-effectors for unmanned ground vehicles. SBA presents the awards to companies and individuals that have advanced technological innovation and economic growth. RE2’s Tibbetts Award recognizes the company’s work meeting the Department of Defense’s demand for improved modular manipulation technologies for robotic vehicles, particularly for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations. RE2’s robotic manipulator arm technologies have been integrated onto several leading robotic systems for both military and domestic bomb squad use. (2/15/11)

DARPA Selects RE2 to Bring Robotic Control to the General Public Through the ARM Program’s Outreach Track
RE2, Inc. announced that it has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a dual-arm robot and accompanying software simulation tool for the Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program’s Outreach Track. Multiple manipulator systems with high-end perception sensors are very costly to purchase for research and development purposes. Therefore, DARPA plans to provide an ARM research platform that can be shared by all researchers. As researchers develop their sensing and control algorithms, they can use the simulator to test, verify, collect data, and debug their research before executing the algorithms on the dual-arm robot. Because use of the highly dexterous dual-arm robot resource will be shared by developers across the country, researchers need a software tool that can be used to validate their control algorithms before testing on the actual robotic hardware. (1/31/11)

RE2 Licenses Robotic Tool-Change SBIR Technology to Northrop Grumman Remotec
RE2 Technology being deployed by the U.S. Air Force on up to 173 Remotec Andros HD-1 UGVs – RE2, Inc., a leading developer of intelligent modular manipulation systems, is providing its Small Robot Toolkit (SRT) to Northrop Grumman Corporation subsidiary Remotec Inc., which will use the tool-change technology to upgrade the manipulation capabilities of the Andros HD-1 unmanned ground vehicle. The U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command recently awarded Remotec a contract to upgrade its fleet of Andros HD-1 Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) to help counter evolving threats from improvised explosive devices (IEDs). RE2 developed the end segment of the upgraded Andros HD-1 manipulator arm, which features a powerful rolling wrist and gripper that is able to lift and maneuver heavy objects up to 125 pounds, such as a 155mm shell. The manipulator arm’s end segment also features RE2’s Quick ReleaseTM technology, which allows end-effector tools to be manually changed in the field. (1/3/11)

RE2 Awarded Phase II Army SBIR to Develop Robotic Door-Opening Technology for Unmanned Ground Vehicles
RE2 has been competitively selected by the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) for the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop a Robotic Door-opening Kit (RDK) for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). The goal of the RDK technology is to decrease mission duration of UGVs performing urban reconnaissance operations by providing these robots with the ability to autonomously open doors and enter buildings or rooms. The modularity and interoperability of the RDK will allow it to be easily integrated onto the manipulator arms of next generation robotic systems as well as currently fielded UGVs as an upgrade kit, providing a low-cost, autonomous door-opening solution for the military’s existing fleet of robots. (10/13/10)

RE2 Awarded Funding to Develop a Conformal End-Effector
RE2 has been awarded a research and development contract with the Robotics Technology Consortium to develop Conformal End-Effector (CE2) technology for the Advanced Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robotic Systems (AEODRS) program at NAVEODTECHDIV. The goal of this program is to develop a hand-like end-effector with the strength to lift a 155mm shell, the agility needed to perform delicate maneuvers such as removing a blasting cap from C4, and a total weight to allow the system to be employed by manipulators on small robots in the 164-pound weight class. The overall objective is to provide an end-effector for the manipulation systems onboard the next generation of unmanned ground vehicles. (6/14/10)

RE2 Awarded Semi-Autonomous Manipulation System SBIR
RE2 has been awarded a Phase I SBIR with the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) to develop sensing and control technologies that take the next step in the evolution of manipulators from tele-operation to more advanced semi-autonomous operations. (5/24/10)

Pittsburgh-based start-up RE2 Inc. finds niche with robotic arm
…Founded in 2001 as a Carnegie Mellon University spin-out, RE2 Inc., has seen steady growth and found a niche in the research, design and prototyping of modular robot arms. The firm started out working as a subcontractor with CMU, then began branching out into its own contracts to research and prototype, working frequently with the military through research and development grants.
Pittsburgh Business Times, 5/7/10

Five High-Tech Ways to Spot a Car Bomb
When astute street vendors alerted police to smoke coming from an SUV parked in Times Square over the weekend, it was a lucky break. That’s because car bombs remain one of the hardest to detect, and consequently deadliest, terrorist weapons. Based on “the number of casualties and amount of property damage, VBIEDs [vehicle-born improvised explosive devices] have been the most successful means of terrorist attack both domestically and internationally, except for the Sept., 11, 2001, attacks,” wrote Ruth Doherty of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate…A Pennsylvania-based company called Robotics Engineering Excellence, or RE2, has received funding to build a modular recon manipulator that would help technicians spot car bombs…”
AOL News, 5/3/10

New DARPA Project Aims to Extend the Reach of Military Robots
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently embarked on a new initiative to develop robotic autonomous manipulators that mimic human arms, wrists, hands and fingers. The goal of the program is to surpass the performance of tasks currently performed by remote manipulation systems that are controlled directly by a human operator. To help address that challenge, DARPA has partnered with two leading-edge robotic companies: Barrett Technology Inc. and RE2 Inc. They will provide the hardware, software, integration services and manipulation expertise for the multi-year research program.
Assembly Magazine, 4/29/10

RE2 to Design a Modular Intelligent Manipulation System for the U.S. Army
RE2 has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to research and design a Modular Intelligent Manipulation system with Intuitive Control (MIMIC) for the U.S. Army’s Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). RE2’s proposed innovative design is expected to significantly increase the effectiveness of robotic manipulators on unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) by giving the robot operator the sensation that his or her arm is actually manipulating an object. (4/19/2010)

Millions will support hiring at RE2
RE2, developer of state-of-the-art, robotic manipulation systems, has been selected by DARPA to lead a new initiative that will integrate its robotic arms and hands onto a mobile robotic platform. RE2 moved last October into a larger, 10,000 square foot facility. Plans call for a 3,000 sf expansion, which includes a 3,000 square foot shop, and increasing the now 30-person staff to 40 with the hiring of five engineers. In addition, Douglas Peters has joined RE2 as vice president of operations. A boomeranger, Peters returns to Pittsburgh from the New England division of Applied Research Associates. He has more than 15 years experience in complex engineering, government contracting and technical management.
PopCity Media, 3/24/10