Issues in Vehicle Teleoperation for Tunnel and Sewer Reconnaissance

Abstract

With the introduction of the Man Portable Robotic System (MPRS), things are about the change for the next generation of military engineers (tunnel rates) tasked with tunnel and sewer reconnaissance. No longer will there be a need for soldiers to descent below the surface into a hostile environment, blindly crawling through rubble and mud while probing ahead for explosives with a bayonet. This paper represents a comprehensive overview of the MRPS and its associated Operator Control Unit teleoperation interface, with an emphases on lessons learns during preliminary and interim testing.