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TECHNICALPRODUCTSBy Joe KeefeDr. Fraser Smith of Raytheon is the President of Raytheon Sarcos, part ofRaytheon?s Integrated Defense Systems business. He?s also the chief proponent of a new technology that could revolutionize how shipyards move, store and retrieve bulky, awkward and heavy materials. Raytheon is actively marketing the ro- botic device now and looking to find fol- low-on funding to make the product commercially viable. Based on their earlyfindings and performance, they are well on their way to doing just that. Called ?Big-Arm,? the Teleoperation robotic system provides a unique solution by closing the ?lift gap? between human strength and large-scale material han- dling equipment. Highly dexterous, intu- itive and easy-to-operate, Raytheon?s Big-Arm can safely and easily lift, trans-port and position heavy payloads (each ?arm? can lift payloads up to 200 pounds;the dual-armed system can easily handle400-pound loads) anywhere in the work- space, while maintaining a ?light touch?that allows the user to leverage his or her own fine motor skills. RAYTHEON BIG ARM FEATURES Sample Applications:PerformanceMetrics:Palletizing and de-palletizing Loading and unloading supplies Equipment repairs Handling heavy material Seven degree-of-freedom arms that have a reach of seven feet Advanced technologies to safely aug- ment human performanceCommercial-off-the-shelf tracked base or custom-tracked/wheeled base Reliable, low complexity welded steel, external actuation and plumbing At a recent, one-week demonstrationtest at a Virginia shipyard, the futuristic tool not only proved its mettle, but also left a distinct impression on those whogot to operate and/or observe the tech- nology in action. According to Yank Rutherford, director of ship integration and concept of opera- tions with Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Indus- tries, the tests left senior management?favorably impressed with the technol- ogy.? Gary Good, Field Engineer for the same shipyard, echoed those remarks in a mid-October interview with Joe Keefe. The robotic big arm does more than justlift heavy objects. In a business where ef- ficiency ? perhaps more than any other ? and time is money, shipbuilding is also dangerous and labor-intensive. And yet, in tests performed at the Newport News Shipyard, ?Big Arm? lifted more than 200 pounds deftly, in single lifts faster than human workers could perform mul- tiple moves of far less weight. And, it more than outperformed anoverhead crane performing similar tasks. Beyond this, the device removes the human element from potentially danger- ous situations, hazardous atmospheresand virtually eliminates the chance ofsomeone being injured while performingtasks that were previously done via man- ual labor. Indeed, Raytheon?s Smith thinks that the device could pay for itself over time Shipyard Operations Lightening the LoadRaytheon?s ?Big Arm? Teleoperation System Demonstrates Real World Robotic Economies for Shipyards (Photo courtesy Raytheon) Dr. Fraser Smith with therobotic arm. 34Maritime Reporter & Engineering NewsMR Dec.11 # 5 (34-41):MR Template 12/6/2011 2:29 PM Page 34