Tyndall robots make lives easier Published July 9, 2007 By Senior Airman Timothy R. Capling 325 Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Deep inside the humid forests of Tyndall Air Force Base is a little known compound inside of a security gate filled with buildings, tents and other fortifications. The scenery looks similar to a Hollywood secret agent movie. Inside some of those buildings, robots of all shapes, sizes and sorts can be found. Some of them appear to be hybrids of robots and vehicles. By that description, people might think Tyndall had inherited some Transformers from the recent movie. The robots are not Transformers, but they are some of the cutting edge technology the Air Force has to offer. The compound is the Air Force Research Laboratory here. The AFRL is responsible for creating technology that is useful for Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Security Forces, Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers and many other Air Force units for deployment and state side missions. The AFRL detachment here is just one of 10 in the Air Force. The AFRL headquarters is at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Tyndall's laboratory specializes in materials and manufacturing and has many features including an explosives range to test the equipment they design, said Mike Calidonna, an AFRL program manager and retired Air Force major. "We specialize in rapid prototypes," said Marshall Dutton, the AFRL program manager of EOD applications. "We don't develop the vehicles here," said Walter M. Waltz, AFRL's Robotics Group Lead, "Our expertise is the robotics." Most recently, Tyndall's AFRL has been working on modifying the Mine Area Clearance Equipment derived from the Hydrema 910 Mine Clearance Vehicle-2 Flail system manufactured in Denmark. The MACE was designed to clear areas with land mines and improvised explosive devices. The AFRL is modifying the equipment by installing a Global Positioning System and remote control system on the MACE to keep Airmen out of the driver's seat while clearing potentially dangerous areas, therefore possibly saving lives. The modifications completed by AFRL will allow Airmen to control the system from a safe distance, said Dutton. One MACE is already being used in the Middle East and showing its effectiveness, said Dutton. Other technology developed by Tyndall's AFRL includes the Yamaha RMAX helicopter used by the Ohio National Guard to spray lakes for insects. The small, remote-controlled helicopter allows for a more cost effective way for the Ohio Guardsmen to complete the job that used to be accomplished using C-130 Hercules aircraft. The AFRL also developed the Remote Detection Challenge Response system which is a ground robotic system used by Security Forces to conduct stand-off adversary detection, delay, denial and neutralization. Some of AFRL's technology has been developed from unlikely sources, such as the Defender, which is made from a machine designed for logging, but is now used for base defense. The "bomb bot," a small radio controlled vehicle used to deliver explosives on the battlefield, was evolved from common remote-control cars. The AFRL continues to lead today's military in technology. The results of their efforts will be seen on the battlefield for years to come.