Consolidated Robotics
Encyclopedia
Consolidated Robotics is a manufacturer and distributor of military-grade robot
s, and one of the chief robotics suppliers of the United States Military. Founded in 1979 by former Boeing
engineers and top executives, Consolidated Robotics relies on pre-established information networks and lucrative government contracts to sustain a niche business in the Defense industry.
Consolidated's products run the gamut from mine-clearing robots -- many of which are currently deployed in militarized areas of Iraq
, Afghanistan
, and the Balkans
-- to drone
spy aircraft, to next-generation armed cyborg
technology. The company estimates that the latter technology will be field tested within 5 to 10 years, and could see mainstream military use in as few as 25 years.
In 2005, the privately held Consolidated was acquired by energy conglomerate Halliburton
for an estimated price of $25 billion US. The company continues to operate under the name Consolidated, though as a wholly owned and operated division of Halliburton.
, and specifically its (now-defunct) Integrated Aeronautics division, co-developed the extremely successful T-43 and T-45 Goshawk
aircraft in the early 1970s, paving the way for increased funding and attention for the division within the company. In the wake of this success, several top engineers began work on automated aircraft: specifically, unmanned drones and spyplanes. Foremost among them was Jason Molloy
, a 15-year veteran of Boeing and a pioneer within the emerging field of military robotics. Molloy’s success was not without its difficulties, and in 1975, he departed the company after a series of notable clashes with top Boeing management, and complaints over lack of funding for his pet projects.
Molloy spent the next few years as a consultant for the defense
and aerospace industries. In the summer of 1979, he and several of his former Integrated Aeronautics colleagues formed Consolidated Weaponized Robotics (CWR) in a small facility in Fort Worth, Texas
. Initially a consulting company to the Defense industry, CWR worked on projects – which remain classified to this day – for large defense contractors, such as Boeing, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin
), and Halliburton
, among others. CWR’s work attracted the attention of the United States
government, which granted CWR a highly lucrative consulting and engineering contract in 1983. It is widely speculated that CWR was responsible for the development and implementation of most high-end United States Military aircraft control systems and navigation computers throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The defense contract, in place since 1983, remains to this day, though it has since been grandfathered to CWR’s current parent company, Halliburton.
CWR changed its name to Consolidated Robotics in 2000, reflecting a shift away from military-specific Artificial Intelligence
systems, and toward AI systems with broader applications. Nonetheless, military-grade systems remained the primary focus of the company, and still account for well over 80% of its annual income. Under the Consolidated Robotics banner, the company developed many of the unmanned drones and mine-clearing robots currently used by the United States and British militaries. Additionally, CR has begun exploratory work on a series of “automated strategic defense and response” (ASDR) robots for military use. These ASDRs are essentially armed attack robots capable of employing a sophisticated battlefield grid system to sweep and patrol areas considered too hostile or hazardous for human foot soldiers. Development of ASDRs is still considered to be years away, and CR estimates that a functional prototype will not be ready until at least 2010, with mainstream use as far away as 2030.
CR was purchased in August 2005 by Halliburton, for an estimated sale price nearing $25 billion USD. It continues to operate within Halliburton as a subsidiary. Founder and former private owner Molloy departed the company under terms of the acquisition, retiring with a payout package believed to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. As part of CR’s integration into Halliburton, Halliburton CEO David J. Lesar
was named CEO, Chairman and President of Consolidated Robotics, until which point a dedicated head of the division can be found and named.
in relation to the George W. Bush
Administration. This is probably because the company was not formally associated with Halliburton, beyond the occasional consulting project, prior to its acquisition in 2005.
Nevertheless, several of Consolidated' high-ranking executives -- including Jason Molloy -- were contributors to Bush's election campaigns, both in Texas and for the Presidency of the United States.
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, and one of the chief robotics suppliers of the United States Military. Founded in 1979 by former Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
engineers and top executives, Consolidated Robotics relies on pre-established information networks and lucrative government contracts to sustain a niche business in the Defense industry.
Consolidated's products run the gamut from mine-clearing robots -- many of which are currently deployed in militarized areas of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
-- to drone
Unmanned aerial vehicle
An unmanned aerial vehicle , also known as a unmanned aircraft system , remotely piloted aircraft or unmanned aircraft, is a machine which functions either by the remote control of a navigator or pilot or autonomously, that is, as a self-directing entity...
spy aircraft, to next-generation armed cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
technology. The company estimates that the latter technology will be field tested within 5 to 10 years, and could see mainstream military use in as few as 25 years.
In 2005, the privately held Consolidated was acquired by energy conglomerate Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
for an estimated price of $25 billion US. The company continues to operate under the name Consolidated, though as a wholly owned and operated division of Halliburton.
History
Boeing Integrated Defense SystemsBoeing Integrated Defense Systems
Boeing Defense, Space & Security formerly known as Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for defense and aerospace products and services. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems was formed in 2002 by combining the former "Military Aircraft and Missile Systems"...
, and specifically its (now-defunct) Integrated Aeronautics division, co-developed the extremely successful T-43 and T-45 Goshawk
T-45 Goshawk
|-Avionics:Data from naval-technology.com *Smiths Industries, Ltd. AN/USN-2 Standard Attitude Heading and Reference System . Later replaced by the BAE/Marconi AN/ASN-180 Navigation Guidance System ....
aircraft in the early 1970s, paving the way for increased funding and attention for the division within the company. In the wake of this success, several top engineers began work on automated aircraft: specifically, unmanned drones and spyplanes. Foremost among them was Jason Molloy
Jason Molloy
Jason "Jay" Molloy is an Irish footballer who plays as a striker for League of Ireland team Mervue United.-Club career:...
, a 15-year veteran of Boeing and a pioneer within the emerging field of military robotics. Molloy’s success was not without its difficulties, and in 1975, he departed the company after a series of notable clashes with top Boeing management, and complaints over lack of funding for his pet projects.
Molloy spent the next few years as a consultant for the defense
Defense industry
The defense industry, also called the military industry, comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military materiel, equipment and facilities...
and aerospace industries. In the summer of 1979, he and several of his former Integrated Aeronautics colleagues formed Consolidated Weaponized Robotics (CWR) in a small facility in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Initially a consulting company to the Defense industry, CWR worked on projects – which remain classified to this day – for large defense contractors, such as Boeing, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
), and Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
, among others. CWR’s work attracted the attention of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government, which granted CWR a highly lucrative consulting and engineering contract in 1983. It is widely speculated that CWR was responsible for the development and implementation of most high-end United States Military aircraft control systems and navigation computers throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The defense contract, in place since 1983, remains to this day, though it has since been grandfathered to CWR’s current parent company, Halliburton.
CWR changed its name to Consolidated Robotics in 2000, reflecting a shift away from military-specific Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
systems, and toward AI systems with broader applications. Nonetheless, military-grade systems remained the primary focus of the company, and still account for well over 80% of its annual income. Under the Consolidated Robotics banner, the company developed many of the unmanned drones and mine-clearing robots currently used by the United States and British militaries. Additionally, CR has begun exploratory work on a series of “automated strategic defense and response” (ASDR) robots for military use. These ASDRs are essentially armed attack robots capable of employing a sophisticated battlefield grid system to sweep and patrol areas considered too hostile or hazardous for human foot soldiers. Development of ASDRs is still considered to be years away, and CR estimates that a functional prototype will not be ready until at least 2010, with mainstream use as far away as 2030.
CR was purchased in August 2005 by Halliburton, for an estimated sale price nearing $25 billion USD. It continues to operate within Halliburton as a subsidiary. Founder and former private owner Molloy departed the company under terms of the acquisition, retiring with a payout package believed to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. As part of CR’s integration into Halliburton, Halliburton CEO David J. Lesar
David J. Lesar
David J. Lesar, is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton Energy Services. Trained as a Certified Public Accountant, Lesar spent 16 years at Arthur Andersen. He had spent most of his career at Andersen, where he worked on their Halliburton account. In 1995, Lesar was hired...
was named CEO, Chairman and President of Consolidated Robotics, until which point a dedicated head of the division can be found and named.
Media Attention
Consolidated Robotics has, by and large, avoided the controversy and media spotlight afforded its parent company HalliburtonHalliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
in relation to the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Administration. This is probably because the company was not formally associated with Halliburton, beyond the occasional consulting project, prior to its acquisition in 2005.
Nevertheless, several of Consolidated' high-ranking executives -- including Jason Molloy -- were contributors to Bush's election campaigns, both in Texas and for the Presidency of the United States.