The US military is currently testing an advanced robot that could eventually be deployed to rescue wounded soldiers pinned down by enemy fire.
The Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot – or BEAR – can carry up to 500 pounds and is capable of completing fine motor tasks with its hands and fingers.
So, how does it work?
Well, BEAR is operated remotely via a motion-capture “iGlove” or modded rifle grip to guide the sensor-laden ‘bot.
It uses a dual-track system to deftly maneuver across a battlefield and can also stand up and balance itself.
“Our goal with the Battle Lab testing is to get the technology in the hands of the soldiers, either through simulations or live exercises, and derive from their feedback what tactics, techniques and procedures are appropriate for deploying it,” Gary Gilbert of the Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) told the US Army website.
“These [tactics, techniques, and procedures] can then serve as the basis for developing real-world operational capability needs and requirements. It’s only once we know how we’ll successfully use these technologies that you’ll see them put into the field.”
“If robots could be used in the face of threats such as urban combat, booby-trapped IEDs, and chemical and biological weapons, it could save medics’ and soldiers’ lives.”
