The Army and Marines have tested autonomous ground vehicles against simulated IEDs. Unmanned Systems Throughout history, warfighting has been affected by available technology. The famed British Army of the 18 th century, for example, fought in line formation with soldiers firing their single-shot musket before filing to the back to reload and being replaced by the next line of soldiers. Advancements in semi-automatic weapons significantly altered this seemingly suicidal warfighting strategy. Emerging technologies in the 21 st century are also changing the landscape, especially with regard to unmanned systems. Next up could be putting robots on the front lines to protect soldiers. “We should be thinking about having a robotic vanguard, particularly for maneuver formations,” said Dr. Bob Sadowski, the Army’s chief roboticist. “There’s no reason why the first contact with an enemy force should be with a man-platform, because it means that platform is at the greatest risk.” Speaking at a recent robotics conference hosted by the Army’s Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center, Sadowski suggested that robots, which feel no pain, should be “bullet catchers.” In the process, he said, they could also pinpoint and uncover enemy fire locations. One example would be driverless convoys , […]
