Dragon Runner
A throwable urban combat robot for dangerous and inaccessible areas.
The Dragon Runner is a military robot intended for use in urban combat. Weighing 20 pounds (9 kg), it is portable enough to be carried and thrown. It measures 15 inches (38 cm) long, less than a foot wide, and 5 inches (13 cm) tall, with four wheels. The robot is built to operate in urban terrain where it is too dangerous or inaccessible for human soldiers.
The original project was funded by the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, where it was designed. QinetiQ, Inc. developed and manufactured the electronics and thermoplastic shell. Early development, including initial design, production, and field-testing, was carried out by the United States Naval Research Laboratory.
The Dragon Runner is highly rugged; it can be thrown over fences, up or down stairwells, from a moving vehicle at 45 miles per hour (70 km/h), or from a third-story window. Its orientation upon landing does not matter, as neither side is the right side up. However, it was not designed to drive up or down stairs on its own—it is meant to be carried up stairways.
In January 2010, under a £12 million contract with QinetiQ, around 100 Dragon Runners were ordered by the British army to help bomb disposal experts locate and deactivate improvised explosive devices on the front line in Afghanistan. Those already in use were proving their worth against roadside bombs.
The robot is equipped with a front-mounted, tilting camera that sends a video feed to its operator via a wireless modem, allowing soldiers to see around corners and obstructions. It can be operated in three modes: Drive Mode, where it moves and transmits images; Sentry Mode, where it remains stationary and uses a microphone and motion sensors (detecting movement up to 30 feet away) to alert the operator; and Watch Mode, where it stays motionless and relays images.
Modifications include flippers for climbing stairs and treads, both of which can be snapped on quickly in the field by a soldier without tools.
Quick Facts
- Weight
- 20 pounds (9 kg)
- Wheels
- 4
- Maximum throw speed
- 45 miles per hour (70 km/h)
- Motion detection range
- 30 ft / 9.14 m
- Camera
- front-mounted, tilting
- Operating modes
- Drive
- Sentry
- Watch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The original Dragon Runner project was funded by the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University. It was designed at Carnegie Mellon University while the electronics and thermoplastic shell were developed and made by QinetiQ, Inc. Early development was conducted by the United States Naval Research Laboratory, including initial design, production and field-testing. The robot is very rugged, and can be thrown over fences, up or down stairwells, from a moving vehicle at 45 miles per hour (70 km/h), or even from a third-story window. It does not matter how it lands because neither side is the right side up. However, it was not designed to drive up or down stairs on its own; instead, Dragon Runner was designed so that it could be carried up the stairway. In January 2010, under a contract worth £12m with QinetiQ, around 100 Dragon Runners were ordered by the British army to improve the ability of bomb disposal experts to find and deactivate improvised explosive devices on the front line in Afghanistan. The first in use were then already proving its worth against the threat of roadside bombs.
Reader's Guide
Dragon Runner's significance lies in its role as a lightweight, throwable reconnaissance robot for urban combat, addressing the need for soldiers to gain situational awareness in confined or hazardous spaces without direct exposure. Its front-mounted, tilting camera provides a video feed relayed back to its master controller by a wireless modem, offering views around corners and other obstructions. The robot can be operated in three modes: Drive Mode for remote driving and image transmission, Sentry Mode where it remains stationary using a microphone and motion sensors to detect movement up to 30 ft away and alert the operator, and Watch Mode where it stays motionless and relays images. Modifications include flippers that enable it to climb stairs and treads that can all be snapped on quickly and easily in the field by a soldier with no tools. The British army's order of around 100 units in January 2010 under a £12m contract with QinetiQ underscores its deployment for bomb disposal against improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, where it was already proving its worth against roadside bombs. Its legacy is as a practical, field-deployable tool that enhances soldier safety in urban and frontline environments.
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