This is RAMSEE, the security guard robot I designed here at Gamma 2 Robotics. RAMSEE is a night watchman who sees in the dark and can self-navigate and patrol warehouses. He also has thermal vision, lidar, 3D cameras, sonar, and two-way video conferencing or telepresence. RAMSEE goes on sale in 2017.
Car, Truck and Vehicle Designs: Self Driving Cars, Unmanned Vehicles, Aviation and Space
Francis X Govers III
Francis X Govers III
This is the example robot from my book, "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ROBOTICS" published by Packt Publishing. I refer to the type of robot as Tinman and this individual robot as Albert. This is a very versatile robot platform with tracks and a servo-driven robot arm
My most ambitious design is the Advanced Combat Robot (ACR) - a vehicle that both drives and walks. It is made from a common, modular architecture that allows different mission packs to be bolted on. For example, the leg units and the arm units are exactly the same
Industry leading Technical Expert – Self-Driving Cars, Aerospace Vehicle Development, Simulation, Unmanned Vehicles (robotics), Sensor Systems, Weapons Systems (Missiles, Guns, Non-lethal), Data Fusion, Operations, Navigation, Augmented Reality, Cockpit Design, Operator Interfaces, Safety, Risk Assessment, Verification and Validation, Testing. Extensive public speaking experience, nationally published author and artist. Lead Designer of over 20 vehicles – land, sea, air and space. I apologize for the lack of UAV pictures - I don't have pictures of them that I own. I contributed to the Predator, Global Hawk, MAV, and FireScout, as well as designing a tube-launched UAV, two LTA (airship) UAV's, and a tail sitter VTOL UAV. Contact ME ON LINKEDIN http://www.linkedin.com/in/francisxgoversiii/
ACR in the standing position. It has very big feet. Powerplant is a 200 hp turbo diesel engine made by Mercedes.
News and Magazine Articles about my work:
Internet Connected Cars: Seriously Cool and a Serious Threat
The DARPA Grand Challenge Unmanned Vehicle entry of my Team CyberRider. Our idea was to use a vehicle that was already a desert racer and make it autonomous. One of the interesting features is that all the hydraulics have water in them - we were sponsored by a company that makes water purification systems, and the donated all the actuators. We had the least problems with cleanup of any vehicle you've ever worked on. The suspension uses airbags for adjust-ability, and the aft is fully independent - there is no rear axle. The engine drives chains down the suspension arms to the wheels.
This image appeared on the cover of Robot Magazine. This is my artwork showing one version of the MULE Armed Robotic Vehicle - Assault (Light) or ARV-A(L) for the US Army Future Combat Systems Program. The MULE design was constantly changing as we tried to meet various weight and mission requirements. This design only lasted a few weeks. I was the Deputy Chief Engineer for this FCS UGV, along with six other unmanned ground vehicles for this program. This image is Copyright 2006 by Francis X Govers III
Our surrogate testing vehicle for the Armed Robotic Vehicle was the Crusher, seen here, which was designed by Carnage Mellon University. That's our Autonomous Navigation System on top. I chaired the Autonomous Navigation System's successful preliminary design review. I was one of the test drivers on this vehicle for teleoperation.
My artists concept of the early design of the US Army's SUGV (Small, Unmanned Ground Vehicle). I was the deputy chief engineer for this robot, which was built by iRobot
Here is a picture of the completed robot (iRobot press release image). The head unit has both visible light and infrared cameras.
The DARPA EATR (Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot) was a project to design a robot that makes its own fuel. A steam engine took material from the environment to fire a boiler and make electricity. This was my concept of how the finished vehicle might look like. This was a collaboration with Dr. Robert Finkelstien, the University of Maryland, and the late Dr. James Albus.
This is Elbit Beagle prototype #4. This robot was designed to go down tunnels and make maps, and has such has a 2000' tether, atmospheric monitor - tells you if the air is breathable (white box on the left), two LIDAR scanners (not installed in this picture but they go on the bracket right above the word "Beagle" in the picture). The arm has a lower profile, and all the cameras have infrared illumination so it sees very well in the dark. You can see the expansion ports on top, with extra electrical power, Ethernet, and USB ports for payloads. We re-mounted the batteries into an external tray so they could be changed without tools. All the plastics parts are made on a 3D printer by StrataSys
Concept for Unmanned Surface Vehicle for DARPA to patrol seas looking for submarines. This is a 110-foot long catamaran with sails to extend patrol range.
I designed a robotic gate guard for high security installations that could stop car bombs -- it was a robot that could flip cars over. This was in response to a request from the Army for a non-lethal deterrent to car bombs. I called this this NLPVID - non lethal portable vehicle immobilization device. I also designed a car inspection robot to go with this one.
SUMPTER Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV)
Anti-IED Unmanned Ground Vehicle original design for a US Army project. Hydraulic hybrid UGV with active / passive suspension. This design was unique from several different viewpoints. The vehicle has a "half-track" design with both active and passive suspension elements, allowing it to traverse obstacles 1.5 times the tire diameter. The hull is "V" shaped to better withstand IED blasts. The front end has a "bobcat" interface for all of the tools (over 60) that fit on a Bobcat skid loader. I designed this vehicle to be easy and cheap to manufacture and to use common components. A Sumpter is what a Civil War soldier would have called his pack horse.
The SARC (Small Automated Route Clearance) vehicle is designed to find and eliminate landmines and IED's on small footpaths in open terrain. I designed it with an advanced sensor fusion system that combined data from multiple inputs. I also invented a special digging arm that worked horizontally. In the back, the SARC carried a second, smaller robot for assistance.
More of the FCS family of unmanned ground vehicles - here are two MULE Transport versions being escorted by one ARV-A(L) MULE. I did all the drawings and artwork on this page - this image is completely computer generated.
Any good robot designer knows that the first thing your robot needs is a good acronym. This robot is called SPOC: the small, persistent observation carrier. Designed for long range reconnaissance. The round thing on top is my Small Robot Navigation System, a bolt-on autonomy package for small UGVs. It has 12 cameras acting in stereo pairs to provide 360 degree vision. The white things on top of that are PIR's - basically infrared motion detecting burglar alarms with a range of about 20 feet - you cannot sneak up on this robot.
Sumpter Anti-IED UGV with my design for a pneumatic extendable sensor mast with EO/IR (Electro Optic/ Infra Red) sensor turret. The mast telescopes down and then folds over for transport.
The Sumpter UGV is designed to be towed behind a HUMVEE like a trailer in order to be deployed
One of our big projects at Future Combat Systems was teaching the robots to detect humans. This is part of an experiment with the XUV at Fort Indian Town Gap to test different detection technologies. The XUV is by General Dynamics Robotics Systems (GDRS). Josh Reuden took this picture.
US Army Future Combat Systems MULE EEU (Engineering Experimental Unit) prototype under testing in Fort Worth Texas. This prototype was designed and built by Lockheed. I was the deputy chief engineer for this vehicle. This early model has a hydraulic suspension, that we later replaced with an all-electric design. This is a public-release picture from Lockheed.
My whimsical artwork showing a herd of Unmanned Ground Vehicles for the US Army's Future Combat Systems.
My artwork showing the tracked design of the Armed Robotic Vehicle (ARV) for the US Army Future Combat Systems, under design by BAE We went back and forth with wheels and tracks many times - I think wheels won in the end before the program was cancelled by the Army.
I designed a robotics test facility for Elbit systems that included a 20 foot tunnel. Here the Elbit Viper robot tests its mobility. The ViPer was unique in that it has both wheels and tracks - the wheels convert to tracks at the push of a button. My test track had two connected loops, a side slope, two up slopes, and a 30% and 60% graded hill. The ViPeR Robot was designed to fit in a backpack - I had a custom backpack designed for it.
One of my favorite pictures I took of the Zeppelin NT "Eureka" at Airship Ventures, showing the vectoring engines as the airship comes in for a vertical landing. You can't see the tail engine in this shot that provides control at low speeds. The orange stripes are 2,000 sheets of vinyl stick on material. The Zeppelin has the exact same engines as the Mooney 201, below. I was the special missions manager for Airship Ventures, and among other things, ran the only commercial airship school in the USA.
This is Elbit Beagle prototype #2 - this arm was purchased from Robot Labs, and is show here with a simulated pipe bomb during the demonstration period at the Ground Robotics Conference held in Dallas.
The Archer Hybrid electric / gas vehicle was a sort of autonomous golf cart that was to carry cargoes for solders and follow them around autonomously. It was a collaboration between Reflexx Robotics and myself. It could run for 48 hours continuously and provide electrical power - it was basically a self-propelled self-driving generator. All the drive systems were electric, and it was almost silent when the engine was not running. Here it is shown with a six-foot 6-DOF robot arm that was part of the EATR project.
My robotics exhibit at the Fort Hood Robotics Rodeo, sponsored by Gen. Rick Lynch, showing three Beagle Robots, the Archer hybrid, and the Elbit Systems Limited of Israel - designed Viper Robot. From left to right: Beagle #2, the Archer Hybrid Vehicle, Beagle #1 in the brown paint job, the ViPER in the background, and Beagle #3 on the floor to the right
A rare winters snowstorm in Fort Worth Texas allowed us the chance to test the Beagle Robot in the snow, where it drove beautifully. Here it climbs a small slope.
At Sportvision, I was responsible for broadcast support of NASCAR and IndyCar races, and I designed a new telemetry system for the 2012 Indy Car. This picture is from the 2011 Tampa IndyCar race.
Sportvision race car telemetry system in action - television control room, housed in a custom 18-wheeler. I got very spoiled watching car races this way (this is 1/3 of the screens I could see). Each car reports its position, and speed 3 times a second. This is sent out live to the internet as the race progresses.
I was one of the track marshals for the inaugural United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. I've been a race car track official with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) since 2009, and I've also done some professional races (Grand Am, Mazda Cup). For the Formula 1 race, I was a corner worker. I've also worked Timing and Scoring. This is me - Nov 7 2012. We also had a Ferrari Challenge Race, a Vintage Formula Car Race and a Porsche GT3 Race that weekend.
I came back as a track marshall for the 2013 Formula 1 Race in Austin - this time at station 11D, which is right over the speed trap on the back straight. We had a bit of excitement as Adrain Sutil (above) hit the wall just after our post. That's me talking on the radio in the background. This is a screen capture of the race coverage on TV. We got Adrain's car off the track, picked up all the debris, and got the race back underway in 3 laps - great job by our team at 11D. Note: the orange gloves are to insulate us from the KERS electrical system in the cars - F1 cars are all hybrids.
Adrain Sutil's F1 Race car after the race was over.
I was one of the lead designers of the International Space Station, and I had the honor of attending five shuttle launches, several of them at night. This is STS-88, the first US launch to assemble the Space Station and flight of the Unity Module (We called it Node 1). 4 Dec 1998 at 03:35 am. I still reported for work the next day....
A-26B Douglas Invader of the Invader Squadron, Fort Worth Texas. The aircraft is in flying condition and is available for airshows. I am the Squadron Leader of the Invader Squadron. We recently were assigned a T-34 Mentor aircraft as well.
I built this BD-5B airplane in my garage back in the '80's. I used a turbocharged Honda CVCC engine and a custom-made aluminum propeller. I also designed the cooling system for the radiator that did away with the belly scoop found on most Turbo Honda BD-5s.
Since earning my mulit-engine rating, I've mostly been flying Piper Twin Comanches, or as I call them, "Twinkies". This one belongs to Slipstream Aviation in Dallas Texas, and is one of the nicest Twin Comanche's around, with the LoPresti Wow Cowls, and an Aspen electronic flight display. The Twinkie is fast, maneuverable, and thrifty, getting excellent gas mileage. Its also difficult to land and you have to be very careful on one engine. One of my favorite airplanes of the 20 or so types I've flown.
Flying formation in a Nanchang CJ-6A. The white aircraft is a Yak-52. I'm in the back seat - Forest "Flush" Johnson is flying. I've been flying warbirds since the 1980's. I'm a Colonel in the Commemorative Air Force and member of the Invader Squadron, restoring a Douglas A-26 Invader bomber.
I was a part owner of this Mooney "K" model aircraft, which we called "Little Mo" - this is the airplane I earned my instrument rating in. I have earned my commercial, multi-engine, instrument, and glider FAA pilot ratings. I've been flying since 1979. As I mentioned, this aircraft and the Zeppelin NT use the same engine - IO-360. Note this aircraft has been heavily modified into the 201 configuration, with new windshield, wingtips and cowling, but still has only two side windows. My favorite modification - speed brakes!
