AFRL hosting Rapid Reaction Challenge

  • Published
  • By Michael P. Kleiman
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  Beginning today and occurring through April 27, a remote location in the southeast corner of Kirtland Air Force Base will become a proving ground for seven U.S. universities' creativity and design in their attempt to meet an urgent warfighter requirement during AFRL's annual Rapid Reaction Challenge.

Initiated in 2006, this year's edition, conducted at Kirtland AFB for the first time, features three separate design contests, with the first involving Prairie View A&M and Tennessee State Universities, the second consisting of the U.S. Air Force, Military and Naval Academies, and the last pitting the University of Texas at Austin against their in-state rival, Texas A&M University.

For the 2010-2011 challenge, the participants, comprised of 12-15 individuals per school, had to create a system, that would allow for the rapid, undetected travel of one to two armed forces personnel and their equipment across distances from six to 12 miles in inhospitable terrain. The demonstrated solution will also enable the military members to conserve physical energy, keep vigilant and potentially even outrun the adversary. Contestants must display that their specific apparatus can be stowed and unpacked for insertion, as well as leave no trace of its movement. Finally, the entries can be human-powered or energized by another source, but the competitors should consider operator safety, shelf-life and logistics (for fuel, batteries and charging) and execution in various environments.

On April 16 and 17, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, and Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn., will showcase their respective Hiker Transport Systems. Prairie View's creation includes a typical All-Terrain Segway platform supported by deeply treaded tires to traverse a multitude of land situations. TSU's device, with the packable dimensions of a standard piece of luggage to fit in a car trunk, also uses a two-wheel vehicle, but employs a wheel design called Modular Folded Spoke Tweeler that absorbs the road in similar fashion to air pressure in pneumatic tires.

After a one-day break, the three academies' systems will take the course from April 18 and 19 to contend for the distinction of bragging rights as the challenge's top service. The USAFA's demonstration, called the DTV Shredder, holds one individual and contains two functional pieces, the operator structure with tank-like treads and an extension, which has similar features of a mini-trailer. The apparatus' low center of gravity and robust, sturdy design make it conducive for numerous applications, such as rescue/recovery and observation.

With a futuristic robotic resemblance, the USMA's Exoskeleton functions like a walking human and uses a motor and single actuator for structural power that can accommodate an external load. Last, the USNA's Trailbreaker, with its appearance of a two-wheel, all-terrain vehicle, has a 172 cc engine with 6.6 horsepower that can achieve a top speed of 35 miles per hour. It can operate for nine hours with fuel held in a three-gallon tank and the system also has nine-gallon auxiliary storage component.

Two opponents from the Lone Star State, UT-Austin and Texas A&M, conclude the 2011 Rapid Reaction Challenge with their competition April 26 and 27. The former's entry, dubbed the "wagon," features two angled treads of the device's front that do not meet the ground and are not powered unless confronting a road obstacle. Supported by two to four wheels underneath its body, the vehicle has a rechargeable electric engine, which should run at 250 watts continuous for standard operations. The structure will also employ regenerative braking to both support the driver when descending an incline and to convert that expended energy into electricity for storage in the battery. From College Station, the Texas A&M team has entered two different bicycle prototypes, featuring two-wheeled and three-wheeled designs, respectively. The first, with a folding frame, has been based on standard mountain bike. With a removable front wheel, the structure holds cargo in a basket on the handlebar and in saddlebags on the rear wheel. The second bike consists of two parallel wheels in the rear, but cargo can be secured similarly to that of the initial prototype.

AFRL's Rapid Reaction Challenge, in partnership with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, consists only of competitors from U.S. universities, including DOD institutions of higher education, with science and/or engineering degree programs. The winner of the annual contest is encouraged to apply for additional announced challenge projects to continue pioneering research. Each participating team will be funded at no more than $20,000 annually for up to three years. Collaborations with federal government agencies or industry are highly encouraged.