Bob Sadowski, chief roboticist at U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center, has told an unmanned technology conference that robotic systems could serve as an initial line of defense against adversaries during battle as opposed to manned platforms.“We should be thinking about having a robotic vanguard, particularly for maneuver formations,” he said, according to a March 7 Army report.
“There’s no reason why the first contact with an enemy force should be with a man-platform, because it means that platform is at the greatest risk.”
Sadowski said the Army could eventually carry out an extended warfighter experiment with robotic technologies at Savannah River, South Carolina.
The Army has identified robotic systems as a tool that can potentially detect adversaries in the field and take fire before personnel are attacked.
Advancements in robotics for warfare face challenges such as logistics and how to use robots in the field during fights, Sadowski said.
Sadowski said industry developers could create products the Army can work to integrate in units’Â missions as a way to make the process more efficient.
