Air Force construction automation/robotics

The US Air Force has several unique requirements that are being met through the development of construction robotic technology. The missions associated with these requirements place construction/repair equipment operators in potentially harmful situations. Additionally, force reductions require that human resources be leveraged to the maximum extent possible and more stringent construction repair requirements push for increased automation. To solve these problems, the US Air Force is undertaking a research and development effort to develop robotic construction/repair equipment. This development effort involves the following technologies: teleoperation, telerobotics, robotic vehicle communications, automated damage assessment, vehicle navigation, mission/vehicle task control architecture, and associated computing environment. The ultimate goal is the fielding of a robotic repair capability operating at the level of supervised autonomy. Current and planned efforts in construction/repair, explosive ordinance disposal, hazardous waste cleanup, and fire fighting are discussed