American soldiers patrolling dangerous streets will soon be accompanied by autonomous robots programmed to scan the area with thermal imaging and send live images back to the command center.
Likewise, squads of infantrymen hiking through mountains will be helped by a wagon train of robots carrying extra water, ammo and protective gear.
Such scenarios are but a few years down the road, according to robotic researchers and U.S. military officials.
"Robots allow [soldiers] to be more lethal and engaged in their surroundings," said Lt. Col. Willie Smith, chief of Unmanned Ground Vehicles at Fort Benning, Ga. "I think there's more work to be done but I'm expecting we'll get there."
Army leaders last month evaluated autonomous robots that move through water, sand and up rocky hills. Robots shown during a week-long demonstration at Fort Benning were designed to carry 1,000 pounds of gear, follow foot soldiers on long treks, scan for land mines and carry wounded soldiers to safety.
5D Robotics, Northrop Grumman Corp., QinetiQ and HDT Robotics and other companies showed off autonomous robots during the event.
Part of the program focused on weaponized robots while other demonstrations showed how robots can help and protect U.S. soldiers in the field.
"Ten years from now, there will probably be one soldier for every 10 robots," Scott Hartley, a senior research engineer and co-founder of 5D Robotics, told Computerworld. "Each soldier could have one or five robots flanking him, looking for enemies, scanning for landmines. Robots can save lives."
The U.S. Army and the Marine Corps have tested autonomous robots in the field.
According to QinetiQ, they have many different robots that have been tested by military officials. Some are already actively used.
British military forces, for instance, use QinetiQ's 10-pound Dragon Runner robot, which can be carried in a backpack and then tossed into a building or a cave to capture and relay surveillance video.
Staff Sgt. Douglas Briggs, Maneuver Battle Lab NCO stationed at Fort Benning, said he worked with robots in Iraq and is prepared for more to join the ranks.
"It's a good thing," said Briggs. "It keeps soldiers out of harms way. If we see what we think is an IED, instead of sending a guy out, we can send a robot out with a video camera. We could see if it's a piece of trash or an actual IED."
