Robot to be soldiers’ rescue hero
Published: June 7, 2007
A remote-controlled robot could soon become the new battlefield hero.
US researchers are working to develop the robot so that injured or abducted soldiers could be rescued from dangerous situations without comrades’ lives being put at risk.
The 1.8-metre tall Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (Bear) will be able to travel across different terrains and squeeze through doorways while carrying the solider in his arms, the New Scientist reports.
Its developer, Vecna Technologies of College Park, said that recent tests showed how the robot, which can carry weights of up to 135kg, can climb up and down stairs with a human-size dummy in its arms.
Unlike human soldiers, Bear is able to carry heavy loads over long distances without tiring and can also hold an injured soldier while kneeling or lying down, enabling it to move unspotted through tall grass or behind walls.
To keep Bear upright, scientists have fitted it with equipment which monitors the movement of its torso and detects any rotation of its body that might indicate it is about to lose its balance.
It even has a humanoid body and teddy bear-style head to give it a friendly appearance, which, Gary Gilbert of the US army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Centre told the New Scientist, is a “really important thing” when dealing with casualties as it maintains the human touch.
Bear will not just be a useful tool in rescue situation as it will also be able to perform more mundane tasks such as carrying and lifting heavy equipment for soldiers.
“The robot will be an integral part of a military team,” said Vecna’s president Daniel Theobald.
Bear is expected to be ready for tests in the field within five years.
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