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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Robot Dog Reports for DutyA Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicle, or "robot dog," goes for a test run at Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., March 5, 2022. The QUGV, the most recent addition to the 142nd Security Forces Squadron, offers enhanced mission effectiveness through additional detection and alert capability. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Yuki Klein)
                
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Robot dog reports for dutyPublished April 18, 2022
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Yuki Klein
                    
                    
                    142nd Wing Public Affairs
            **PORTLAND, Ore. (AFNS) --**In December 2021, the**Portland Air National Guard Base**became the first**Air National Guard**base to house the innovative technology developed by Ghost Robotics known as the Quadrupedal Unmanned Ground Vehicle. This four-legged droid iscommonly referred to as a robot dog.The new addition to the PANGB family has been under the care of the 142nd Security Forces Squadron. The canine-like body of the QUGV reflects the beams of sunshineoff its exterior, and with one click of a button, it is awakened.Tech. Sgt. Jamie Cuniff,142nd SFS logistics and resources noncommissioned officer, has been working with the new technology since its arrival at PANGB.“We're kind of spearheading this whole side of security, this autonomous defender as they say, which makes me feel really good and proud to be in the unit,” Cuniff said.Cuniff, who has been a key advocate for the adoption of the robotdog, has been the leading force in getting it ready for its security mission here.“From a security standpoint, it's going to benefit us in the way that it provides some real time video feedback and also acts as a deterrent,” Cuniff said.This semi-autonomous robot is programmed to minimize human exposure to danger. The unique capabilities of the robot, including its sensor package, creates a notable advantage for base security.“It's going to give us exponentially more, real time ground situational awareness” saidLt. Col. Ryan Barton, 142nd SFS commander. “I see the dog bringing a lot of additional capability down the road. Say we have a building alarm or an event we need to respond to on the installation – the dog can go with us or first and provide us a video feed of what's going on inside the building, while also providing a two-way interface that allows us the ability to start affecting the situation while other Defenders respond.”The robot can independently track the perimeter of the base, endure a variety of terrain, scan the area with multiple different camera types, travel long distances on one charge, provide active surveillance of the area, and funnel that information back to those in the security forces squadron through secure means. The Defenders can interrupt the autonomous function of the dog at any time and manually control itto focus or direct the capability based on the circumstance.“This is the type of change that we should all strive for,” Barton said. “Maybe not a robot dog, but to find things that humans don't necessarily have to do or don’t dowell and incorporate technology or some version of innovation to free up the manpower while also enhancing capability.”The use of the robot prevents real dogs and humans from being unnecessarily exposed to danger. Additionally, the camera capabilities provide information that would not be perceptible to the human eye. According to Barton, looking forward, the base is working to gain two more QUGVs, for a total of three dogs which will provide enhanced security to the base, protecting our personnel as well as our mission assets.This novel addition to the 142nd Wing brings with it the ability to enhance PANG’s mission effectiveness through additional detection and alert capability, freeing up time for the defender to become more proficient in their skill sets, as we move into the future.LR 



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