Army tests autonomous legged robot

The Australian Army is spending millions to develop and test a range of unmanned ground vehicles – some of which walk on four legs instead of getting about on wheels or tracks.

CAPTION: A Ghost Robotics robot supports an Australian soldier to clear an enemy position. Photo by Corporal Tristan Kennedy.

During a demonstration of autonomous ground systems at the Majura Training Area, ACT, on Thursday 31 October 2019, senior military and government leaders and VIPs witnessed a range of vehicles and robots in action.

Two autonomous Australian Army M113 AS4 armoured personnel carriers conducted fire-and-manoeuvre demonstrations alongside a range of drones and ground robots, as well as manned vehicles.

The demonstration was designed to showcase the potential for robotic and autonomous systems to enhance Army’s capabilities on operations.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said autonomous capability was a key priority for Defence because of its important safety and efficiency benefits.

“Autonomous vehicles help keep troops a safe distance from harm and present solutions to a range of problems faced by our military personnel in the field,” Minister Price said.

A Ghost Robotics unmanned ground ‘vehicle’ was among those seen supporting Australian Army soldiers clearing an ‘enemy’ position during the field demonstration.

With perhaps ungainly yet surprisingly capable animal-like manoeuvrability, the four-legged robot is currently un-armed – but it doesn’t take much to imagine later iterations brandishing a suite of sensors, tools or even weapons.

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…Ghost Robotics promotional video

 

RELATED STORIES: 

• Millions to develop next-gen autonomous vehicles
• Study finds soldiers care about robots
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• Estonian army deploys unmanned ground vehicle on ops

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