Photo By Sgt. Matthew Clifton | The mass distribution of the multi-function agile radio-controlled robot, "MARCBOT",...... read more read more
Pfc. Matthew Clifton MNC-I Public Affairs Office
September 2, 2005
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- The Rapid Equipping Force in Iraq is an organization who's sole purpose is to bring cutting-edge technology to the battlefield and assess the practicality and effectiveness of tools while they are still in the testing stage.
"We are an organization working for the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army with the purpose of helping the immediate war fighter get commercial, off-the-shelf technologies that are available," said Lt. Col. Lee Gazzano, commander, REF, Camp Victory. "We look at that technology and try to bring it to the theater fairly quickly."
The REF's primary mission in Iraq is to support the fight against improvised explosive devices, but they also go out and support units with other tools for surveillance and crowd control, Gazzano said.
An important thing to remember is this technology consists of off-the-shelf, commercial products and items that are brought to the Soldiers as quickly as possible, Gazzano said.
The REF has been an active organization since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan two-and-a-half years ago, and is currently on its seventh rotation in Iraq.
"This organization has just recently been declared an official temporary duty organization," Gazzano explained. "Meaning the Soldiers and civilians who make up our units were sent here from other units for 6 months."
All the Soldiers and civilians send to the REF bring their own personal and creative experiences to the fight then go back to their original units, Gazzano continued.
"We deal in a full spectrum as far as what types of equipment we bring to what units," Gazzano explained. "We have done a lot of small things someone might not think were terribly important to large-scale projects."
"Anything technical or scientific that the Soldiers say they need, any capability gap they need filled or any tools they say they need I provide them with," said Dr. Bill Cohen, an REF engineering and science consultant from Exponent Inc., Menlo Park, Calif.
Cohen works directly with Soldiers to figure out what is the most cost effective and quickest way to solve any particular problem.
"What we originally come up with may not be perfect, but it gets there fast," Cohen said.
Gazzano recalled a time in Afghanistan where there was an issue with Soldiers breaking down locked doors to search buildings. Innocent people's doors were being destroyed because the Soldiers had no other way of opening the door.
With the help of the Exponent Corporation, who sends teams of engineers to help the REF, a tool was developed which allowed Soldiers to unlock the doors without harming the locks.
"The tools cost about 10 cents apiece," Gazzano said. "That is a perfect example of a relatively cheap and unsophisticated item that solved a major problem."
"Insurgents will often use a crater where an IED went off to plant other IEDs," Gazzano continued. "We have employed a company who has a very quick and effective way to fill those holes up so insurgents cannot use them against us."
This is another example of a low-tech solution to a big problem, Gazzano added.
On the other end of the table are high-tech projects like the multi-function agile remote-controlled robot. The MARCBOT is a system developed by Exponent Inc. which uses a camera attached to a robot to seek out, identify and confirm possible IEDs, Gazzano continued.
It turned out that robots are playing a bigger part in the IED fight than a lot of people had thought, Cohen said.
One of the biggest advantages of the MARCBOT is it allows Soldiers to assess possible threats from a distance, reducing the Soldiers immediate danger and thanks to the successful field testing of the MARCBOT, mass distribution of the latest model is scheduled for the end of September, 2005, Gazzano said.
"The benefits of this product are phenomenal," Gazzano said. "Just the other day I had a Soldier come up to me and tell me how the MARCBOT saved his life. You cannot get any better satisfaction that that."
"Another system in the works is a robot similar to the MARCBOT, but designed to go under vehicles and search for explosives," Gazzano said. "As of now, the only way to check for them is to attach a mirror to a large pole."
Using mirrors and poles leaves Soldiers vulnerable to injury, and is the inspiration behind the push for this robot, Gazzano said.
"Interestingly, most of the products we develop come from Soldiers in the field who tell our teams about things they could use or ideas they have," Gazzano said. "We have teams that go out with the Soldiers, evaluate what they are doing and come up with ideas that work to create new tools or improve old tools, with the goal of increasing mission success."
Testing these projects in theater is very beneficial in that all factors are considered. If the project is tested in a controlled environment, the full effect might not be achieved, Gazzano said.
"For example, if you test the MARCBOT in Arizona, the dust might be of a different composition than the dust in Iraq. Having the product developed here ensured its ability to withstand the environment," Gazzano explained. "If we test the products afar and bring them here, there is always the chance that the product will not work as expected."
Being in the environment that the system is going to be operated in provides fidelity for that system in the long run, Gazzano added.
As soon as any product or project's validity is established, the REF will push the product out to the units who need it the most.
The REF relies on the units in the Army to decide if the product is worth mass distribution since it is up to them to decide how far the project goes.
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 09.13.2005 12:23 |
| Story ID: | 2994 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 31 |
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