Pentarch wins two innovation awards for robotic artillery round handling project

Pentarch has won both the National Innovation and SME Innovation categories at the Land Forces Innovation Awards, in what the organiser has said was a first in the history of the awards.

Pentarch was recognised for its Project Damocles, which is described as a safe and purpose-designed system using “robotic handling and creative use of vision systems and X-ray technology to individually decant artillery rounds from its packaging, de-fuze the projectile and interrogate the arming state of a large quantity of 105mm artillery rounds.” (Pictured.)

The company won a cash prize of $15,000 for each category at the awards, held on Tuesday afternoon at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre as part of the Land Forces expo.

Engineer James Tsarouhas from Anywise won the Young Innovator Award for work on designing and integrating an array of sensors for military bridges, to increase their reliability and the safety of the engineers erecting them. Tsarouhas also received a $15,000 cash prize.

High commendations were also awarded to the following:

• DMTC (VIC) for leading a team that has developed a rapid diagnostic system that enables diagnosis in minutes of COVID and other viruses and bacteria that can afflict deployed troops (National Innovation Award category);

• Tekuma (SA) for developing the Easy Manoeuvre Unit (EMU), incorporating a patented Tekuma control orb as a universal controller for robots (Defence SME Innovation category); and
• Lachlan Clark from Anywise (VIC) for his work on the software, Graphical User Interface (GUI) and data management system of the Fleet Agnostic Bridge Health and Usage Monitoring System (Young Innovator category.)

The Innovation Awards were created by the AMDA Foundation and first held in 2013 at the Avalon Australian International Airshow. 

“Our Innovation Awards are designed to recognise and reward the innovativeness and achievements of Australian companies and individuals. They’re still the only Awards of their kind and have become increasingly prestigious,” said Justin Giddings, CEO of Land Forces 2022.

Picture: Credit Pentarch