ITT’s Centauro Telepresence Robot Is Designed for Response and Rescue

The one thing most rescue robots have in common is their ability to traverse rough and difficult terrain to reach those in need or to deliver vital supplies. Locomotion is varied for these types of robots (just look at any robot from Boston Dynamics), with some using legs and others using wheels, and then there is ITT’s Centauro, who takes advantage of both.

Centauro stands at nearly 5-feet (1.5-meters) tall, weighs in at 205lbs (93kg) and features legs with six degrees of freedom using a series of actuators that allow them to rotate and extend the limbs in any direction and height, making them efficient at navigating the uneven and rough terrain.

The robot was designed using lightweight metals, including titanium, aluminum, and magnesium with an outer skin of 3D-printed plastic. The head is decked-out with a series of RGBD sensors, along with cameras and a LiDAR scanner, which provides 360-coverage of the environment around the robot. Even the wheels are outfitted with torque and thermal sensors to monitor their condition in harsh environments.

While it’s not known what type of computer power the robot has onboard, there are apparently three computer systems that provide control, high-level motion planning and perception processing. It’s also not autonomous, but is instead piloted by humans through telepresence, and is used as a kind of tool to mitigate obstacles using various hand-attachments that can be used for cutting, gripping large objects or connecting hoses and operating valves.

Powering the Centauro is a high-power density 1.6KWh Li-Po battery, which enables the robot to operate continuously for approximately 2.5-hours before needing a recharge.

According to a summary listed on the Centauro Project website:

“The project aims at development of a human-robot symbiotic system where a human operator is telepresent with its whole body in a Centaur-like robot, which is capable of robust locomotion and dexterous manipulation in the rough terrain and austere conditions characteristic of disasters.”