Attachment I - SOW.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK/REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT

Title: Procurement of a Quadruped Manipulator Robot

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The item being acquired is a quadruped-type robot with an integrated manipulator arm. Specifically required is robot with four legs, a center body, and an attached robot arm, ending in a manipulator. The robot should be capable of simple and complex locomotion tasks, including walking, balance recovery, sensing of the immediate environment, obstacle avoidance, and the ability to cross various rough terrains. The robot should also be capable of gross manipulation tasks and interaction with common objects. Accompanying the robot should be a software or API that allows for interaction with underlying code including joint control commands, motion planning, and sensor feedback. Communication with the robot should be possible through any computer. The robot will be operated by NIST staff to accomplish previously created test methods and new ones in the future. It should be a representative example of the robots available today in terms of physical design, construction, capabilities, sensing, and locomotion and manipulation performance.

Purpose/Objective: The purpose of these requirements are to detail the needs of the Measurement Science for Robotics and Autonomous Systems program for a quadruped robot with integrated manipulator arm that can be used to develop and validate both mobility and manipulation test methods and metrics.

II. SCOPE

The Contractor shall deliver a quantity of one (1) quadruped manipulator robot, accompanied by any required accessories to repeatedly run the robot in a laboratory environment. With the robot should also be made available, as open access or through a license, a software or API that allows for direction and control of the robot. These items are inclusive of FOB Destination delivery, installation, warranty and training, and option line items.

III. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide a system that meets all technical specifications identified below. All items must be new. Used or remanufactured equipment will not be considered for award. Experimental, prototype, or custom items will not be considered. The use of “gray market” components are not authorized for sale in the U.S. by the Contractor is not acceptable. All line items shall be shipped in the original manufacturer’s packaging and include all original documentation and software, when applicable.

Line Item 0001: Quadruped Manipulation Robot Description: One quadruped robot with an integrated arm that attaches to the chassis of the robot. The quadruped base and robot arm should be powered from the same source, and an included controller should be able to perform coordinated control of the base and the arm. The arm should be at least 6 degrees of freedom, ending in an actuated gripper.

Quantity: One (1) Quadruped Robot A. Physical Specifications

a. Structure: The robot must consist of four legs (each ending in a foot), a central chassis, an attached robot arm ending in a manipulator end-effector.

b. Degrees of Freedom (DOF): Each leg should consist of at least three (3) DOF from chassis to foot. The arm should consist of at least six (6) DOF from chassis to end-effector (not including internal end-effector degrees of freedom, such as closing a gripper).

c. Size: The arm and robot together should be able to reach a height of at least 1800 mm.

d. Battery Power: The robot should be capable of continuously running for at least ninety (90) minutes on a single battery.

e. Tethered Power: The robot should be able to run on tethered power. This should also allow for battery pack swapping without powering down the robot.

f. Sensing: The complete kinematic and dynamic state of the robot should be observable from the sensors on the robot. The robot should have, at minimum, one vision sensor, one lidar sensor, and one central IMU sensor on the robot integrated into it’s functionality. Each joint or actuator should have position, force or torque, and current sensors.

g. Communication: The robot should be capable of internal communication (joint sensor and control included) at a rate of at least 1000hz.

h. Interface: The robot should have a method for continuous remote operation from an auxiliary device. This device can be provided in the form of a handheld controller or tablet. The robot should also be able to be controlled through software that can be downloaded onto a pre-existing computer or tablet or through API (described below).

i. Control: The rate of the controller should be at least 100hz. The motion control for the quadruped mobility and arm manipulation capability should be fully integrated. The remote-control interface should be capable of issuing combined manipulation and mobility commands, with continuous safety guarantees to avoid falling and self-collisions.

B. Required Capabilities

a. The quadruped robot shall be capable of robustly performing basic mobility tasks such as balance, walking at up to 1.5 meters per second, obstacle avoidance, walking up and down standard height stairs, climbing up or down a 30-degree incline, and traversing common rough terrains such as grass, sand, and shallow water.

b. The robot should have the range of motion and leg strength to walk up and down stairs and dynamically interact with the environment.

c. The arm should have a continuous lifting capacity of 5 kg and be able to drag objects of up to 25kg. It should be capable of additional dexterous tasks such as grasping common objects, valve turning, close-up visual inspections, autonomous door opening, zipper opening, hook and carry, dragging objects, pushing E-stop buttons, and simple autonomous pick and place tasks.

d. The robot should be capable of self-righting to a standing position after a fall or other failure (even from a fully upside down position).

e. The robot should be capable of autonomous functionality, with an option for preprogramming and triggering semi- or fully-autonomous action sequences.

C. Desired Additional Capabilities:

a. Long-range radio communication – The robot should have an included radio communication capability, enabling continuous remote operation of the robot in long-distance, noisy, or partially occluded situations that would challenge wifi or Bluetooth communication.

Line Item 0002: Software/API Description: Along with the robot there should be a software or API that allows for interaction with robot subsystems, viewing underlying code, and recording data from robot sensors. It should allow for activation of some manufacturer created controllers and the implementation of custom controllers. Access to these functions can be done through a manufacturer provided device, such as a tablet, or through a communicating lab computer.

Quantity: One (1) Software License or access to code API A. Technical Specifications

a. The API should allow for custom behavior scripting. It should allow for utilization of manufacturer created controllers, which should, at minimum, include balance and walking control for the lower body, cartesian position control of the upper body, and whole-body torque control. The torque control should allow for integration with other custom control code.

b. The API should allow for calibration of all sensors. Procedures for accurate calibration that can be done on-site should be provided.

c. The API should allow for viewing and recording of all sensor and control data from the robot.

d. The API and on-board robot software should allow for integration with external sensing systems. This could either be through receiving external sensor information to record, or through the capability to time synchronize with external systems.

IV. DELIVERABLES

Quadruped Robot and required accessories.

V. DELIVERY TERMS

Delivery shall be F.O.B Destination and shall occur in accordance with the delivery due dates provided in the above table.

FOB Destination means: The contractor shall pack and mark the shipment in conformance with carrier requirements, deliver the shipment in good order and condition to the point of delivery specified in the purchase order, be responsible for any loss of and/or damage to the goods occurring before receipt and acceptance of the shipment by the consignee at the delivery point specified in the purchase order; and pay all charges to the specified point of delivery. The contractor shall deliver all Line Items to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology Shipping and Receiving 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301 Gaithersburg, MD 20899

VI. TRAINING

The contractor shall conduct a training session at NIST. The training shall provide a thorough demonstration of all system/solution functions, maintenance, data administration, and basic troubleshooting. The training may be completed at NIST Monday – Friday during the operating hours of (8am-5pm). The training session shall be scheduled prior to delivery of equipment to NIST, to occur within a reasonable time frame after receipt of items.

VII. INSPECTION & ACCEPTANCE

In addition to the inspection and acceptance terms articulated in 52.212-4, the Government reserves the right to perform 30 days of validation testing of the capability of the delivered system to meet the minimum requirements listed above will be performed. Ideally this testing will happen coincidently with the training session. Such tests and evaluations, if performed, shall be conducted within the environment that the system is to be operated. The Contractor has the right to be present during the tests and evaluations, if performed, at the Contractor’s expense.

NIST may choose at its discretion to forego this part of acceptance testing.

A visual inspection of the equipment will be performed by the NIST TPOC to identify surface defects or any form of indication that any equipment was damaged during transport to NIST. The Government shall have sole discretion to require repair or replacement of damaged and/or nonconforming supplies at no cost to the Government. The Government at any time prior to acceptance shall reject the equipment due to defects and/or nonconformance. The vendor is responsible for latent defects discovered any time after final inspection. However, the extent of its liability shall be prorated over the useful life of the equipment.

Ownership of the equipment shall transfer to NIST upon acceptance by the Government.

The Government will test, inspect, and accept or reject the equipment within (insert working days it will take to inspect, accept or reject) of the receipt of the equipment unless otherwise indicated above. The Government reserves the right to conduct quality assurance testing to confirm that a given instrument(s) meets the manufacturer’s and/or the Government’s performance specifications. It is anticipated that the equipment will meet all manufacturer’s specifications and/or the Government’s performance specifications identified in the most recent operations and maintenance manual for each piece of equipment and/or in this document.

VIII. WARRANTY

The contractor shall warranty the entire system for a period of a minimum of one year after receipt of the equipment and shall be in accordance with terms in FAR 52.212-4. Warranty shall commence upon acceptance of the system by the Government and at a minimum shall include the repair or replacement of any non-consumable hardware provided by the contractor, for damage not considered to be the direct fault of the user.

IX. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Advance payment is not authorized. The Contractor must invoice in arrears according to the payment schedule. The Contractor shall be paid, in accordance with Net 30-day payment terms, upon receipt and acceptance of a proper invoice, in accordance with the following schedule:

1. 100% after installation and acceptance by the TPOC of fully installed system, AND

1. After the successful completion of the testing requirements set forth in this document under section set forth in this document, AND

1. After successful demonstration by the instrumentation that it performs IAW the technical requirements set forth in this document AND

1. After receiving an invoice submitted properly, IAW the purchase order terms and conditions.

NOTE: Partial shipments and partial invoices will not be accepted, unless otherwise requested and accepted by the Contracting Officer prior to award offer. Proposed payment schedules shall be submitted with vendor’s response to the RFQ for consideration.

X. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Safety: The Contractor employee who will deliver the training must be responsible for knowing and complying with all installation safety prevention regulations. Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal.

Security: NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access for entry into buildings and is shown to the armed Security Police when entering the campus.

Regular Business Hours. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, (8:00 am to 5:00 pm) Eastern Time, excluding Federal holidays and NIST closures.

Identification Badges: Contractor employees must comply with NIST identification and access requirements. Each Contractor employee must wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office.

Vehicle Registration: All Contractor employees must register their vehicles with the NIST Security Office to gain access to the campus. A valid driver’s license, Government-furnished civilian ID, proof of insurance and current registration must be presented to the NIST Security Office, at which time a NIST vehicle pass will be issued. The pass must be displayed on the vehicle in accordance with NIST Security Office instructions.