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ROBOTS TO ROAM BATTLEFIELD OF THE FUTURE
In Wartime, one of the most perilous assignments is to walk the point - taking the lead on patrol. The enemy can shoot a point-man without warning.
Soon, the soldier walking point could be a robot.
"These little robots are kind of like kamikaze warriors." Said George
Osgood, founder of RoboTrix, a company that has developed two robot prototypes for the US military-nicknamed "Gladiator" and "Spike."
About the size of washing machines, "Spike" and "gladiator" are armored engines guided by computers. The robots can travel unmanned into the most dangerous situation.
Osgood's robots are being developed to replace human soldiers. "We are looking at transforming the entire organizational structure of the Army's fighting force," said Curt Adams, a vehicle researcher at the Army's Tank, Automotive and Armaments Command in Detroit.
In 1990, the US military sent unmanned aerial vehicles called "drones" on scouting missions over Kosovo.
The Navy is testing unmanned mini-submarines at its Space and Naval Warfare System Center in San Diego. It is also developing unmanned hovercraft that resemble fictional 1950s-vintage flying saucers. The flying craft gather intelligence while hovering quietly.
"We want to save lives and save money," said Mike Tuscano, coordinator of the Joint Robotics Programme at the Department of Defence. "If you can do both, so much the better."
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