TATRC MedRAS presents at DSI DoD Robotics & Unmanned Systems Summit
September 30, 2021 | Download PDF
This past August, Mr. Nathan Fisher, Chief of TATRC's Medical Robotics and Autonomous Systems (MedRAS) Division, presented at the DoD Robotics and Unmanned Systems (UxS) Summit in Alexandria, VA, sponsored by the Defense Strategies Institute (DSI). DSI’s 9th Annual Unmanned Systems & Robotics Summit focused on the multi-domain functionality and networked approach to UxS capabilities across air, land, and sea on the future battlefield. The two-day Summit was designed to look at common challenges and capabilities across Services, rather than focus in on a precise platform, domain or acquisition. This event was an educational forum for technology providers and decision makers across the U.S. Military, federal government agencies, academia, and the private sector who are responsible for using or advancing UxS and robotic capabilities. The distinguished speaker line up included many senior leaders, including LtGen Eric Smith, USMC Commanding General, Combat Development Command, Dr. Stuart Hatfield, HQDA G-8 Robotics and AI Branch Chief, and Maj Gen Heather Pringle, USAF Commander Air Force Research Laboratory, among others.
Mr. Fisher gave an overview of the TATRC MedRAS portfolio during his presentation entitled: "MedRAS: Augmenting Medical Capability and Capacity for the Future Force." The presentation covered numerous research topics exploring ways emerging technologies in robotics, autonomous systems, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be extended to medical applications to provide a medical force multiplier during Multi-Domain Operations near the point of injury, during pre-hospital evacuation, and at Medical Treatment Facilities. Specific topics included forward-deployed telerobotic surgery, semi-autonomous and remotely-managed care systems, and the use of unmanned vehicles for transporting medical supplies and potentially patients.
Mr. Fisher's presentation was well received and the topics of leveraging unmanned systems for autonomous search and rescue and medical resupply were of particular interest to the audience. Describing the DSI Summit, Mr. Fisher expressed that “it was an excellent forum to share our MedRAS research portfolio with the broader DoD Robotics and UxS community and led to many fruitful follow-up discussions with interested groups regarding potential opportunities for future collaboration.”
For more information on TATRC’s MedRAS Research Portfolio, please contact Mr. Nathan Fisher at: nathan.t.fisher3.civ@mail.mil.
This article was published in the April 2022 issue of the TATRC Times.