A fuel cell power system produced by Southborough-based Protonex Technology Corp. will help improve the abilities of an unmanned ground vehicle robot.
The Next Generation Manufacturing Technology Initiative program, managed by the Advanced Technology Institute of Georgia, has awarded Protonex a $537,249 contract for a demonstration project.
Protonex says the power system, a hybrid of battery and fuel cell technology, will be able to deliver 200 watts of continuous power and also meet peak power demands. The company says it expects the system to increase the robot’s current operational time by 2.5 to 3.5 times. That would expand the robot’s capabilities for uses like chemical-biological monitoring and border patrol.
