With all the advances in robotics, manufacturers are faced with “poor vision”, poor autonomy and electronic warfare interference in robots.
Defense News wrote that the THeMIS 4.5 platform developed by Milrem Robotics for the Estonian army was tested in Estonia, which is trying to become one of the leaders in military robotics. And although the tests were successful, the project coordinator of the Estonian Military Academy, Markus Otsus, told the broadcast’s journalist why we are not destined to see a “robot war” in the near future.
The military doesn’t know “what it wants”
No, these are not personal whims, Marcus says, just that the military is really still analyzing how new technologies and automated devices can be used in conjunction with existing combat units. In order for the use of such expensive systems to justify itself, it is important to understand how ready they are to interact, what logistics routes need to be built, and what kind of specialists need to be trained.
It is also important to understand what military tasks can be performed by certain robotic platforms clearly and seamlessly, the expert said. And the developers themselves have so far only been able to offer prototypes, and there are very few models that really work, even in the modern armies of the leading powers. There, too, the subject of robotization is still being researched.
Robots are “blind” and easily confused
In our layman’s understanding, a robot is a perfect thing, like a “Terminator”. But in fact, today’s combat robots are in the early stages of their growth. This is purely due to technical capabilities, not the software component as one might think.
For example, according to Markus, modern robotics faces the problem of “perception of localization”. Most mobile robots, or UVGs, are equipped with light and distance sensing (LIDAR) sensors that provide distance vision day and night to identify and avoid objects. This is achieved by creating millions of data points using laser beams and creating a live 3D map of your surroundings.
Disadvantages of this technology include intermittent operation in rain, snow or fog. Even a human can “dazzle” a robot by taking a laser pointer and pointing it at the machine’s sensors.
Problems also arise in areas with dense vegetation, which is repeatedly observed when crossing dusty terrain or during testing. The robots stopped and looked confused, twitching helplessly left and right, not daring to move in any direction.
The way out of this situation is simple: the operator can take over manual control. Only then is the main advantage of robots lost – autonomy and independence.
And the enemy can detect robots very easily with the help of special glasses. The fact is that LIDAR emits pulsed light waves into the medium (scanning the surrounding space and objects) to draw a three-dimensional picture, and this scanning is therefore very noticeable in special glasses. Now engineers are trying to solve the problem with LIDAR, using the so-called “passive scanning” developed by Rheinmetall Provectus.
Issues with autonomy and protection against electronic warfare
Of course, every military expects a great deal of autonomy from war robots so that they don’t need to be constantly recharged like some kind of city electric car. And there are no special favorable conditions for this at the front. Robots today cannot boast of record autonomy, but engineers are already working on it.
EW systems are another problem. Like any radio-controlled device, a combat robot can be “silenced” and disabled by radar combat systems, such as a drone. The autonomous platform will be left without GPS connection and communication with its operator, and will become a useless pile of metal that can be easily captured by the enemy.
Yes, and the GPS sensors themselves are flawed. During the tests, it turned out that the dense forest greatly affects the signal level for navigation. So, although great progress has been made in confronting electronic warfare systems, engineers will have to solve this problem in the future.
When will we see robots on the battlefield?
No army in the world can fully answer this question. While the subject of combat robots is of great interest to the military, the “road maps” for the introduction of robotic platforms have become very “blurry” over time. In the US Army they say “More robots – less dead soldiers”.
Most countries assume that 2040 will be the year when the technology is finally ready and all the technical issues described above will be resolved. Markus Otsus says that although the growth of the UGV industry cannot be called very fast (compared to artificial intelligence, for example), but it will certainly gain momentum.
We have already brought the THeMIS 4.5 platform, which passed all tests successfully, to the readers. This ground-based fighter with MIFIK intelligent functions system has completed all assigned combat missions.
same before Focus He said the new space robots charge the equipment using mirrors. The Light Bender system will direct sunlight over a significant distance to power the batteries.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.