Tin Soldier

A Look at the Battlefield Robots Being Developed to Join the Fray

- Matthew Flynn

In the summer of 2000, the TV show BattleBots debuted on Comedy Central and featured robot combatants battling to the mechanical death in gladiator-style matches. While many enjoyed the show at the start of the new millennium, few would have seen it as a harbinger of military combat two decades later.

Yet, constant developments in the fields of AI and robotics have led the United States military, and its adversaries, to invest heavily in the development of robots for the battlefield that are increasingly lighter and more effective. These robots are used to assist soldiers on the field — detecting IEDs, mapping territory, disrupting enemy communication, etc. — and have proven extremely valuable in such efforts. Increased military interest in developing battlefield robots has led to both incredible accomplishments and ethical dilemmas.

BATTLEFIELD ROBOTS

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) has a program known as Squad X Core Technologies (SXCT) with the stated purpose of developing “novel technologies that could be integrated into user-friendly systems that would extend squad awareness and engagement capabilities without imposing physical and cognitive burdens.” In order to achieve this goal, SXCT has teamed with robotics and AI companies to develop battle-ready robots.

Early last year, Raytheon BBN Technologies and Northrop Grumman teamed with the Defense Department to provide teams that developed open platforms for swarm technology. The autonomous micro-drones can be focused on virtual or physical environments, swarm tactics, humanswarm teaming, or swarm autonomy. Competitions are being scheduled for various teams and include using a swarm of air and ground battlefield robots for reconnaissance, the identification of entry and exit points, and establishing a perimeter around a two square block area.

COMPETING FOR BIG CONTRACTS