As defense and logistics applications for robotics continue to expand, so too will the demand for ruggedized and adaptable computing solutions. Both defense and logistics robots face a range of environmental and operational challenges:

Demanding Environments in Defense and Logistics

  • Defense: Extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, electromagnetic interference, dust, and moisture are all potential threats.
  • Logistics: Warehouses, distribution centers, and outdoor environments can expose robots to temperature variations, dust, impacts, and the need for continuous operation.
  • Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP): Compact size and power efficiency are vital, whether for a military drone or a warehouse robot. Maximizing mission or operation time is key.
  • Security: Defense robots must be resistant to hacking or tampering. Logistics robots may handle valuable goods or contain sensitive business data.

The Ideal Combination for Rugged Robotics:  NVIDIA, ARM system on modules (SoMs) and EMAC Inc.

Here’s how ARM technology and EMAC Inc.’s expertise in embedded systems address these challenges across both sectors:

  • Robust Design: EMAC designs ARM-based SOMs with ruggedization in mind, incorporating industrial components, extended temperature ranges, conformal coatings (when required in the client specifications), and adaption / manufacturing of custom carrier boards to specialized enclosures if required.
  • Power Efficiency: The ARM architecture’s power efficiency is crucial for extending the mission or operation times of battery-powered robots or those facing power constraints.
  • Compact Form Factors: Compact SOMs, paired with EMAC’s custom-designed carrier boards, minimize system size – a major advantage in both defense and logistics applications.
  • Customization and Scalability: EMAC’s expertise allows contractors and logistics providers to tailor robotic systems to specific tasks through customized carrier boards, ensuring optimal performance.
  • Security: ARM-based platforms with EMAC’s optimization can include hardware-level encryption, secure boot, and TrustZone technology to safeguard robots in both defense and sensitive logistics applications.

In these demanding environments, ruggedization and low power consumption are essential to ensure reliability. ARM-based system-on-modules (SOMs), expertly designed and manufactured by EMAC Inc., are an ideal choice to operate at the heart of these types of systems.  EMAC can also be contracted to design and manufacture custom carrier boards for a variety of NVIDIA modules.