Military Robots Soon To Be On The Battlefield, Says US Army Brass

Military Robots Soon To Be On The Battlefield, Says US Army Brass

Traditionally, military robots are only used for supplying missions, helping with IEDs and for in-mission surveillance. However, robotic soldiers are no longer the things of science fiction. The US Army’s plan is to develop robots for use on the battlefield by 2018. (or sooner)

iRobot, Northrop Grumman, QinetiQ, and HDT Robotics brought their military robots, armed with M240 machine guns, to show off their capabilities to Army representatives at a test range at Fort Benning in Georgia recently.

In this live demo at Fort Benning, GA, the CaMEL MADSS robot, built by Northrop Grumman is tested. In this video, it is firing live ammunition at firing range targets. Several companies participated in this demo for U.S. Army officials.

The robots were able to shoot targets from 500 feet away. The robots were all remote controlled in this test for safety reasons and to show proof of concept. However, a 2008 report noted some of the robots moved without being commanded. Even this worries some, the Army brass was impressed.

“The technology is getting to be where it needs to be.” -Lieutenant Colonel Willie Smith

The Army’s plan is not to entirely replace humans with robots, but to have robots accompany their units. Recent reports have shown though that when humans work with robots, they can become emotionally attached to them. Especially robots that have saved lives. The Army worries that this can affect their decision-making when it comes to putting the robots into more dangerous situations, which is what they are designed for.

Northrop Grumman demoed a robot called CaMEL (Carry-all Mechanized Equipment Landrover). CaMEL is a pretty apt name for it, given how much it can carry and how long it’s run time is. CaMEL is capable of hauling and using automatic weapons, anti-tank missiles, and grenade launchers. DARPA’s Legged Squad Support System pack mule robot has also been tested in combat situations and can haul nearly as much but through more difficult territory.

The Legged Squad Support System (LS3) is a rough-terrain robot developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA and the US Marine Corps. It is designed to carry 400 lbs of payload and travel 20 miles without refueling. LS3 has sensors that let it follow a human leader while avoiding obstacles in the terrain

“CaMEL is almost as efficient with fuel as real camels are with water—thanks to its hybrid engine, 3.5 gallons can power the robot for more than 20 hours while hauling around 1,000 pounds of equipment. CaMEL can also charge batteries or be used to run other systems, and it maneuvers quietly on the battlefield. So we’ve got a robot that’s armed to the teeth, and it’s stealthy. Yay? Northrop Grumman says their droid is designed to both support and protect troops, operating as an “armed wingman.” It’s designed to blow the living shit out of things as well.” (source: Giant Robot)

The Army is still planning on using the robots by remote control but groups are still worried that someday the robots will be autonomous.  How will they determine how to acquire targets and what weapons or amount of force to use? These questions will have to explored but the fact remains that the robot battlefield is no longer science fiction.

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