Photo By Brandon Honig | A soldier from the Cal Guard's Company A, 5-19th Special Forces Group, rappels from...... read more read more
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LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. - The 9th Civil Support Team's (CST) newest member is also its toughest. “Johnny Five” can handle virtually any terrain, drag 300 pounds through mud and water, and survive multiple explosions with minimal recovery time, CST soldiers say.
"I’m a survey team member. We’re the guys that suit up, go downrange and do the hands-on operation to bring back samples from inside the hot zone," said Sgt. Taylor Coe, of the 9th CST, which responds to incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) contaminants. "Why not send a robot in, instead of having two of our guys risk their lives, and see how much of the mission it can complete?"
The Talon robot made by QinetiQ – and dubbed Johnny Five by the 9th CST in reference to its ’80s movie doppelganger – is the first ever used by one of the nation’s 58 CSTs. The 9th is conducting a pilot program to determine how the Talon can be used by CSTs in the future.
The team’s members have met with other CSTs and with first responders in Southern California that have experience with robots (mostly in bomb units) to gather information and provide feedback to QinetiQ on how to optimize a Talon for the CST mission.
The Future of CBRN
The 9th also is experimenting with Johnny Five in ways that go beyond typical scenarios for a CST, which is a domestic-response force and therefore not authorized to deploy outside the United States.
“We’re trying to replicate what we could do with [the Talon] in a combat-like environment,” Staff Sgt. David Whitaker, of the 9th CST said Veterans Day at the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum in Chiriaco Summit, California. “This simulates the overseas deployment of future CBRN [-response] capabilities.”
On Veterans Day, as a boisterous crowd celebrated our nation’s military heroes in front of the museum, Johnny Five and team were making use of the historic military hardware out back to simulate an airstrike-affected battlefield. The airstrike had hit an ammunition depot, which sparked fears of radiation related to depleted uranium.
While natural uranium can be used to produce nuclear weapons or power, the byproduct depleted uranium is found in some munitions, tanks and aircraft because of its density, which makes it heavier than lead. Notional soldiers in tanks near the Veterans Day airstrike were awaiting guidance inside their steel-lined vehicles, which provide some shielding from radiation, when the CST sent in Johnny Five via remote control.
A Very Complex Video Game
“We actually get to control the robot with an Xbox remote,” Coe said, happily adding that this assignment is a blast. “When I was growing up, people told me video games won’t get you anywhere, but I showed them.”
Coe has been training with Johnny Five for a few months and said maneuvering it is a perishable skill that requires at least two hours a week to maintain — particularly if you’re taking Johnny Five upstairs or over other difficult terrain.
“When you’re first picking it up, it feels like a video game — a very complex video game — but you don’t have that extra life, so you have to be more cognizant of your surroundings, while also manipulating the cameras and knowing where your arm is on the robot and where your tracks are in comparison to the terrain,” Coe said.
The Talon’s 5-foot arm is used as a counterweight when driving over hills and stairs, and if the robot’s modified snowmobile tracks don’t fit the stairs, the arm can be used to help Johnny Five climb them.
The arm also could get Johnny Five back on its feet if it tipped over, but Coe said an operator would need to be especially careless to let that happen. It’s more likely that need would arise because of an explosion.
“These robots are fairly indestructible,” Whitaker said. “They are constantly blown up overseas, and it's as simple as replacing a few parts and it’s ready to go again.”
Johnny’s Big Day
At the Patton Museum, Johnny Five’s sensors successfully located multiple items that had been planted on the battlefield, which emitted safe levels of real-life radiation. The CST had outfitted Johnny Five with a trailer that carried additional radiation-detection and communications equipment, including radio repeaters to extend the range of contact, which enabled Johnny Five to complete the mission. The notional tank soldiers were notified there was no immediate threat, and a decontamination trailer was called in to tend to them.
The CST then made the long drive back to Orange County’s Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos to give Johnny Five a thorough cleaning and prepare for the robot’s first public appearance that night — dropping the ceremonial first puck at the Veterans Day game between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks’ Veterans Day tribute also included Cal Guard Special Forces soldiers rappelling from the rafters and driving a tactical vehicle on the ice, among other Cal Guard elements.
“It was a very memorable experience unlike anything else, and it was really nice to be out there and be recognized for what we do,” said Sgt. Brian Quinonez of the 9th CST, who is trained to assist in case of a Talon malfunction. “The crowd was electrifying, and when we got out there with the robot, the fans were cheering us on and saying God bless America. It was overwhelming.”
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2015 18:25 |
| Story ID: | 182519 |
| Location: | LOS ALAMITOS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 347 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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