Autonomous Mobile Manipulator Robots

This is a notice of intent to sole source two ReBeL RBTX-IGUS-0243 robots, manufactured by igus, Inc.

This is a procurement of two robotic platforms to support two funded research projects focused on human-robot interaction for the Robotics Laboratory in NIOSH, Morgantown, WV. Two funded NORA projects “Improving safety of human-robot interaction” and “Investigation on safety and trust when working alongside industrial mobile robots” require two mobile robot arms to conduct the human subject study. The human subject will interact with these mobile robot platforms and evaluate the trust level as well as the contact avoidance interaction. The Robotics Laboratory already has Freight Robots with similar specifications, which have passed the software update periods. Purchasing additional mobile robots is necessary to fulfill the experiment requirement. These robots are essential tools required to conduct controlled experimental studies that evaluate operator behavior, safety, and performance when interacting with robotic systems. The requested platforms will be used exclusively within the Isolated Secure Local Environment (ISLE) to simulate real-world operational scenarios and to generate scientific data necessary to meet project objectives. To comply with CDC/NIOSH IT security policies, the systems will operate within a closed network environment and will not be connected to the CDC enterprise network or the internet at any time during operation. All experimental activities will be conducted locally, ensuring data security and system isolation. These robotic platforms are necessary to fulfill the technical requirements of the funded studies and to enable rigorous evaluation of human-robot interaction in a safe and controlled setting.

This robot enables researchers to perform path planning and task scheduling locally through direct communication. In contrast, many other products require vendor involvement for programming and rely on remote network connections for management and operation. This does not meet the need because the device will be deployed within the ISLE environment, which does not allow direct connection to the enterprise network. Additionally, allowing vendors to remotely access CDC devices would violate IT security policies. The robot must be compatible with Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) as its standardization and integration allow for reproducible human-robot interaction data. In a multi-robot-multi-user workspace, ROS 2 compatibility is necessary to enable communication and coordination among individual robots.

The technical requirements necessitating sole source for this procurement are as follows:

1. Independent verification of ROS 2 compatability

2. Compliance with CDC IT security policies (i.e. no remote access of CDC devices)

3. LIDAR

4. Camera