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Kairos Autonomi Creating Humanoid Robot for Disaster Relief Efforts
[July 24, 2012]

Kairos Autonomi Creating Humanoid Robot for Disaster Relief Efforts


SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Jul 24, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Kairos Autonomi®, a world leader in robotic appliqué kits, will apply its successful business model to another Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge (DRC) by developing a mobile humanoid robot that can perform human-like tasks.



"We believe the only goal for any DARPA challenge participant is to develop and market viable products, and we will bring this same altered thinking to our approach for the DARPA Robotics Challenge," said Troy Takach, President and CEO of Kairos Autonomi. "Kairos was one of a very small number of participants to bring a product to market out of the DARPA Grand and Urban Challenges." Having delivered more robotic appliqué kits for full-size ground vehicles than any other company on Earth, Kairos has begun development of a platform that can assist in disaster response scenarios using strength, endurance, visual sensing, decision making and self-control through supervised autonomy. The platform will incorporate technologies from the Pronto4 Robotic Appliqué Kit. The primary motor drivers will be LADD actuators pioneered in Utah. Other components will include third-party dexterous manipulators, cameras, lidar, battery power and other sensors.

Kairos has assembled a team for this effort and will be responsible for all of the hardware, firmware and data serving aspects. It plans to work with Autonomous Solutions, Inc., for advanced perception, and other third parties that specialize in dexterous manipulators.


The DARPA Robotics Challenge has two objectives: first, to create robots that are able to execute multi-faceted tasks in difficult situations using common tools and equipment such as hand tools and motor vehicles; second, to make these software and hardware products affordable.

Takach said this effort will not only expand its core product offering, but also introduce Kairos' autonomy approach to a wider audience.

About Kairos Autonomi Kairos Autonomi (http://www.kairosautonomi.com) is the pioneer and world leader in Robotic Appliqué Kits, add-on vehicle autonomy systems that provide unmanned capabilities to current manned vehicles, rendering them optionally unmanned. With its emphasis on simplicity, cost-effectiveness, ubiquity and interoperability, Kairos has proven since 2006 that one-third unmanned by 2015 is achievable only with robotic appliqué kits.

<strong>Media Contact: </strong>Thomas Grover Communications and Marketing Manager (801) 255-2950 [email protected] SOURCE: Kairos Autonomi mailto:[email protected]

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