➡ 

IN 

T CRIMINAL JUSTICE SOLUTIONS 

Vanguard Robot Assessment 

JULY 04 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

National Institute of Justice 

SHORT 

OWARD 

THE PROBLEM	 The law enforcement community needs a low-cost robot that can 

reduce or eliminate the time of danger for a bomb technician who 

must inspect, x-ray, and disrupt an explosive device—preferably in 

its original place but sometimes relocated. Sensors and tools must 

be placed close to a suspect device. Approaching a device can be 

dangerous, since points along the path may be booby-trapped. 

Even when a bomb technician uses great care in inspecting or 

handling an explosive device, the possibility exists that the bomber 

is waiting nearby to remotely detonate the device or a secondary 

device when the bomb technician is within range. An effective robot 

can reduce or eliminate the risk of potentially deadly scenarios and 

aid in selecting tools and 

approaches a device. In 


addition, events recorded 


by a robot’s camera can 


provide evidence for future 


forensic purposes.


disabling the device. Even if a 

robot cannot disrupt a device, 

allow a bomb technician to focus on 

it can still relay information to 

procedures before a technician 
2 

BACKGROUND	 In 1999, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) published the Inventory of State and 

Local Law Enforcement Technology Needs to Combat Terrorism, which outlined the law 

enforcement community’s need for improved robots to disarm and disable explosive 

devices. In 2000, NIJ funded Battelle Memorial Institute to conduct a practitioner-based 

assessment of requirements for developing a cost-effective bomb-disposal robot for 

use by State and local bomb squads. This effort produced the Law Enforcement Robot 

Technology Assessment, which discussed the current state of robotics technology 

and presented the following design criteria for an effective bomb-disposal robot: 

■	 The ability to pick up a 35-pound object that is 18 inches or more ahead of the 

vehicle without tilting or becoming unstable. 

■	 A functional range of 300 to 450 yards from the operator. 

■	 The ability to operate for 8 to 13 hours a month for training and real scenario purposes. 

■	 The ability to operate normally in temperatures between -40 and 120 degrees F for 

from 2 to 4.5 hours using an internal power source. 

■	 Monthly maintenance time of 0.5 to 2 hours. 

■	 Annual maintenance cost of $300 to $500. 

■	 A speed objective of 1.5 to 3 miles per hour. 

■	 Weight of 130 pounds or less for the mobile portion of the system to permit easy 

carrying; weight of 170 pounds or less for a two-man lift. 

■	 Cost of $31,000 or less. 

The most critical shortcoming of bomb-disposal robots is the high cost. Most bomb 

squads in the United States cannot afford them. 

VANGUARD Scope. Using private funds, EOD Performance, Inc., designed and produced the 

ROBOT Vanguard robot to meet the design specifications outlined in the Law Enforcement 

ASSESSMENT Robot Technology Assessment. NIJ awarded Battelle, the company that developed the 

STUDY assessment, funds to conduct an independent technical and operational analysis of 

the Vanguard robot system’s ability to satisfy these specifications. The study also 

recommended improvements. 

Battelle’s assessment of the Vanguard robot included the following: 

Evaluation phases. The analysis was conducted in three phases. 

■	 Technical evaluation: Compared the Vanguard platform to the performance measures 

identified in the Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment. 
BOTTOM LINE 

■	 Operational evaluation: Provided feedback from military and civilian bomb-disposal 

operators on the Vanguard system’s ability to meet task and mission requirements. 

■	 Enhancement evaluation: Recommended improvements to the Vanguard robot system 

to make it more beneficial to the law enforcement community, based on deficiencies 

or shortcomings identified during the technical and operational evaluations. 

Vanguard platform performance, in most areas of concern, is equal to or better than 

that of other systems (see exhibit 1). It satisfies a large percentage of the requirements 

specified in the Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment, including the key 

item of cost: the Vanguard, at $31,000, costs about half as much as the Mini-Andros 

and the RMI–10. The Vanguard earned a higher score than comparable systems in the 

successful completion of tasks commonly encountered by bomb-disposal technicians 

(see exhibit 2). However, it did not satisfy the requirements for speed and mission 

duration. The evaluators suggested enhancements to address the attribute and task 

deficiencies identified during the evaluation that would increase the benefits of the 

Vanguard robot system to the law enforcement practitioner community (see exhibit 3). 

Based on these findings, EOD has modified the Vanguard. NIJ is funding an evaluation 

of the modified version. 

Exhibit 1. Comparison of robots’ key attributes 

Attribute 

(in order of 

Importance 

Threshold Objective weighting Mini-Andros2 Pedsco RMI–102 HDE MURV–1002 Vanguard 

priority) value value factor1 (%) Info Value3 Score4 Info Value3 Score4 Info Value3 Score4 Info Value3 Score4 

Cost $31,000 $20,000 21.2 $60,000 0.5 10.6 $50,000 0.6 12.7 $25,000 1.0 21.2 $31,000 1.0 21.2 

Manipulator 

lift capability 

35 lbs. 45 lbs. 13.7 15 lbs. 0.4 5.9 75 lbs. 1.0 13.7 10 lbs. 0.3 3.9 35 lbs. 1.0 13.7 

Operating 

range 

300 yds. 450 yds. 13.5 200 yds. 0.7 9.0 330 yds. 1.0 13.5 330 yds. 1.0 13.5 400 yds. 1.0 13.5 

Training/ N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 

utilization 

requirements 

Mission 2 hrs. 4.5 hrs. 11.2 4 hrs. 1.0 11.2 5 hrs. 1.0 11.2 3 hrs. 1.0 11.2 0.8 8.4 

duration 1.5–2+ hrs. 

Maintenance N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 

requirements 

Annual N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 

maintenance 

cost 

Speed 1.5 mph 3 mph 6.8 1.1 mph 0.7 5.0 2.5 mph 1.0 6.8 0.85 mph 0.6 3.9 0.7 mph5 

1.2 mph 

0.5 3.2 

Weight 130 lbs. 95 lbs. 6.8 190 lbs. 0.7 4.7 140 lbs. 0.9 6.3 45 lbs. 1.0 6.8 103 lbs. 1.0 6.8 

Total score 73.2 46.4	 64.2 60.5 66.8 

Source: Battelle, Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, April 2000. (Available online at 


http://www.justnet.org/jpsg/robotassessment/robotassessment.html.)


1

Based on practitioner community survey conducted for NIJ’s Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment.


2

Based on manufacturer’s information as reported in Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment.


3

Value is presented as a fraction of 1, which represents full capability.


4

Score is derived through multiplication of importance and value.


5

0.7 mph is the speed with tracks; 1.2 mph is the speed in the wheeled configuration. 

Dark shading indicates attribute did not satisfy threshold value. 

Light shading indicates attribute may satisfy threshold value, depending on mission. 
62.5 

52.5 

38.8 

24.6 

Exhibit 2. Robot performance rankings: Combined evaluations 

Mini-Andros1 RMI–1011 HDE MURV–1001 Vanguard 

Ability Completion2 (%) Weighted Completion2 (%) Weighted Completion2 (%) Weighted Completion2 (%) Weighted 

Functions required (%)* score score score score 

Mobility tasks 

Traverse through “clean” areas 62.5 100.0 62.5 100.0 62.5 95.0 59.4 100.0 

Negotiate curbs 52.5 95.0 49.9 65.0 34.1 60.0 31.5 100.0 

Operate in short grass (urban standards) 38.8 75.0 29.1 95.0 36.8 85.0 32.9 100.0 

Traverse through “difficult” areas 27.5 70.0 19.3 82.5 22.7 55.0 15.1 89.5 

Climb short run of stairs (e.g., front steps) 20.0 95.0 19.0 20.0 4.0 30.0 6.0 87.5 17.5 

Operate in long grass 12.5 57.5 7.2 86.7 10.8 70.0 8.8 100.0 12.5 

Traverse snow, ice, mud, puddles 8.8 56.7 5.0 62.5 5.5 60.0 5.3 89.5 

Maneuver between vehicles, tight landings, 7.5 100.0 7.5 72.5 5.4 95.0 7.1 90.5 

buses, airlines 

Negotiate stairways (long run) 4.3 95.0 4.0 15.0 0.6 15.0 0.6 81.8 

Operate in “heavy” vegetation—unimproved 0.5 46.7 0.2 65.0 0.3 43.3 0.2 89.5 

wooded area 

Total (maximum total score = 234.9) 203.7 182.7 166.9 227.0 

Manipulation tasks 

Relocate packages to blast containment system 25.3 85.0 21.5 85.0 21.5 45.0 11.4 83.3 

Relocate packages to other area 15.0 92.5 13.9 90.0 13.5 75.0 11.3 93.5 

Deploy objects through the window of a home 11.3 20.0 2.3 80.0 9.0 13.3 1.5 40.0 

Inspect, disrupt, move from under vehicles, 10.0 72.5 7.3 75.0 7.5 50.0 5.0 93.3 

couches, etc. 

Enter door with knob 8.8 77.5 6.8 20.0 1.8 53.3 4.7 90.0 

Deliver countercharge smaller than 2L bottle 7.5 80.0 6.0 93.3 7.0 90.0 6.8 100.0 

Deliver countercharge larger than 2L bottle 2.5 60.0 1.5 73.3 1.8 50.0 1.3 100.0 

Enter door with striker 2.5 52.5 1.3 60.0 1.5 40.0 1.0 50.0 

Deploy objects through the window of a car 1.8 45.0 0.8 65.0 1.1 66.7 1.2 100.0 

Total (maximum total score = 84.7) 61.4 64.7 44.2 70.0 

Disruption tasks 

Disrupt using 1 disrupter 57.5 80.0 46.0 65.0 37.4 6.7 3.8 85.7 49.3 

Disrupt package, briefcase 41.3 86.7 35.8 95.0 39.2 6.7 2.8 81.8 33.8 

Disrupt pipe bombs 28.8 86.7 24.9 60.0 17.3 6.7 1.9 80.0 23.0 

Disrupt using more than 1 disrupter 15.0 0.0 0.0 20.0 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 

Deploy weapons 13.3 40.0 5.3 80.0 10.6 0.0 0.0 88.9 11.8 

Disrupt letter bombs 9.3 86.7 8.0 80.0 7.4 6.7 0.6 86.0 

Total (maximum total score = 165.2) 120.0 114.9 9.1 125.9 

Deploying tools and sensors 

Perform diagnostics with x-ray 0.5 0.0 0.0 66.7 0.3 46.7 0.2 0.0 

Perform chem, bio, hazmat detection 0.3 100.0 0.3 40.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 

Deploy tools (saw, drill) 0.3 20.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 

Perform nuclear material detection 0.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 

Total (maximum total score = 14.4) 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.0 

Duration 

Operate >1 hour on a single mission 47.5 100.0 47.5 70.0 33.3 85.0 40.4 100.0 

Operate > 2 hours on a single mission 43.8 100.0 43.8 0.0 0.0 50.0 21.9 30.0 

Operate > 4 hours on a single mission 8.8 66.7 5.8 0.0 0.0 35.0 3.1 0.0 

Total (maximum total score = 100) 97.1 33.3 65.4 60.6 

Source: Battelle, Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, April 2000. (Available online at 


http://www.justnet.org/jpsg/robotassessment/robotassessment.html.)


1

Based on practitioner evaluations as detailed in Law Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment.


2

Completion is the unassisted performance of the task.


*Percentage of missions in which this task would be performed.


4 

7.9 

6.8 

3.5 

0.4 

21.2 

14.0 

4.5 

9.3 

7.9 

7.5 

2.5 

1.3 

1.8 

0.0 

8.0 

0.0 

0.0 

0.0 

0.0 

47.5 

13.1 

0.0 
Exhibit 3. 

Limitations Proposed systems capabilities 

Mission duration 1.5 hours 

Single firing circuit Include multiple firing circuits and new wiring to integrate three firing circuits and change the user 

Claw camera has no light Integrate two light-emitting diode (LED) lights with the claw camera. Requires new camera housing, new 

wiring, and cables. 

No joystick controller 

Standard circuit breaker 

power breaker to on/off switch. 

Basic weather resistance Implement a seal and gasket to waterproof the robot. Involves approximately 15 dies. 

Firing system not isolated 

Plastic pan/tilt motor housing 

from collecting raindrops. Add connector to camera instead of hardwiring. 

Low-screen visibility outdoors 

Limited RF signal Redesign command station to separate radio frequency (RF) antennas. RF signal will be improved if the 

–Fixed RF antennas command station is inside the bomb truck and if antennas are outside the truck on a tripod with their own 

–Low-grain antenna on robot end 

Manual arm deploy 

Fires only Proparms 20 mm recoilless disrupter 

include a study on firing effects on the robot after 100 shots of use. 

No x-ray capabilities Integrate real-time digital x-ray system. The goal is to use the x-ray system command station to drive the 

robot and eliminate the need for two laptops. 

Increase speed to 1.3 mph. Requires new motors, new wiring, and software. New motors will create high 

electric noise and cause board to reset; electronic troubleshooting is required for new motors to work 

Limited electronics expansion Include new electronic board with surface-mounted components and improved connectors to improve 

overall durability and vibration against disrupter pressure. New electronics will have a faster processor 

camera control. 

One-way audio 

L

period. 

AUDIENCE 

MORE 

I Law 

robotassessment/robotassessment.html. 

5 

Vanguard product improvement plan 

Include a larger battery to give mission duration of 2 – 2.5 hours (fitting in a 10 ampere hours (Ah) battery), 

design a new battery lid and pouch, and conduct a stair-climbing study. 

interface software to reflect each circuit. Also rewire one circuit to use as a power-tool outlet (24 volts). 

Technician will be able to plug in any universal serial bus (USB) joystick. Involves software programming. 

Include self-resting circuit breaker. Add self-resting breaker on the electric board and change main 

Isolate the firing system. Requires material change, new wiring, and adding relay in the electronic box. 

Include aluminum pan/tilt motor housing, with better low-light infrared camera. Cover pan/tilt camera 

Program a new user interface with high-visibility colors. Supply a laptop hood standard with each robot. 

Supply power to connect head-up display. 

power supply. Use a high-grain antenna and signal amplifier. 

Include arm automatic deploy. Requires software programming and hardware changes to implement. 

Design and integrate a pan mitigation system to enable occasional use of the pan disrupter. Work will 

Top speed is only 0.7 mph 

properly. 

Track’s height designed for 7.5-inch-high stairs Redesign track’s height to climb standard 8-inch-high commercial stairs. 

Track’s cleats glued in place and only 0.5 inch high Mold cleats in place and increase height to 0.75 inch to improve durability. 

and more memory to allow multifunction, arm deploy, a safer firing circuit, and support for faster drive 

motors. Also, it allows for future expansion, like automatic arm stow, distance feedback, and zoom 

Two-way audio on RF. 

Note: Upgrades should be completed by April 2004. 

IMITATIONS Training requirements, maintenance requirements, and maintenance costs were not 

evaluated because accurate assessments of those factors require a longer evaluation 

Federal, State, and local policymakers; public safety administrators; and bomb technicians. 

See Inventory of State and Local Law Enforcement Technology Needs to Combat 

NFORMATION Terrorism at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/173384.htm and 

Enforcement Robot Technology Assessment at www.justnet.org/jpsg/ 

This document is not intended to create, does not create, and may not be relied upon to create any rights, substantive or procedural, enforceable at 

law by any party in any matter civil or criminal. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document represent consensus of the authors and do 

not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The products and manufacturers discussed in this document are 

presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice. 

The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the 

Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. 
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