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Blacksburg, VA, United States - Nov 14, 2011 - TORC's popular wireless emergency stop system for unmanned vehicles, SafeStop, is now available in an OEM version. This version opens the way for robotic developers and system integrators to more easily integrate the emergency stop functionality into their own enclosures and control interfaces. In the past, in-house development was the only option. Customers will receive an integration-ready transmitter board, while the receiver unit is still provided in its assembled enclosure.

Similar to the retail version, the OEM SafeStop supports pairing multiple transmitters with a single vehicle-mounted receiver and is available in all of the same frequency options: 340-400 MHz, 900 MHz, 1.3 and 2.4 GHz, with an additional 3.4 GHz frequency option only available in the OEM model. The transmitter board is 128mm by 88.9mm and can be controlled and monitored over the primary RS-232/422 interface. Emergency stops are executed by interrupting a current loop input on the transmitter board.

As part of the continued improvements to the Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate (GUSS) systems, the OEM SafeStop transmitter board was recently integrated with QinetiQ's Tactical Robotic Controller (TRC) via the Ground Vehicle Control Module. This allows for one of the buttons on the TRC to function as the SafeStop emergency stop kill switch, eliminating the need for a dedicated handheld unit and wrapping that functionality into the lightweight, wearable operator control unit.

"Customers want to simplify and consolidate operator controls. Having a stand-alone transmitter unit for the emergency stop function can sometimes create usability issues for the operator," says Andrew Culhane, the company's business development manager. "It's easy to designate a safety operator during development and system testing, but as more autonomous vehicles get fielded it's increasingly difficult to separate emergency safety from system operation. The OEM SafeStop allows our customers to merge emergency stop functionality with new and existing operator interfaces."

Visit the SafeStop Web page for more information, and contact TORC with additional questions or to obtain pricing.

ABOUT TORC

TORC enables engineers to rapidly integrate robotic systems through a suite of modular, customizable products. TORC's Robotic Building Blocks product line is used by leading academic, commercial and government organizations to shorten the development process, lower costs and mitigate risks. These products have been used on more than 100 mobile robots ranging from 15 pounds to 15 tons. TORC provides solutions for drive-by-wire conversion, emergency stop, power management, autonomous navigation and operator control. For more information, visit http://www.torcrobotics.com.

TORC, TORC Robotics, SafeStop and Robotic Building Blocks are trademarks of TORC.

 

Company Center: TORC Robotics