Interoperability Standards Pave the Way for Modular Robotic Manipulators

Unmanned vehicles have long been used by the military to handle situations characterized by the three Ds: dull, dirty, and dangerous. As the use of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) in the military and industry becomes more complex, the need for interoperability on and between systems has exponentially increased.

The U.S. Army's Interoperability Profiles (IOP) is at the forefront of this effort. IOP standardizes the software and hardware interfaces between major subsystems, such as between a robotic platform and a manipulator arm, or between a robotic platform and a controller. IOP dramatically reduces the integration effort required when introducing new capabilities, such as payloads and sensors, to robot systems. IOP also helps developers concentrate on their specific areas of expertise. Finally, it allows companies to leverage their combined strengths to create best-of-breed solutions that quickly and effortlessly adapt to changing missions.