Smarter robots likely in Army's
future, planners say
Unmanned robots already have proven
their worth on the battlefield, neutralizing improvised explosive devices, and
more capable ones are coming in the future, according to the commander of U.S.
Army Training and Doctrine Command. While robots and unmanned platforms will
continue to provide valuable assistance to Soldiers on the battlefield, there
may even come a day when they can begin replacing Soldiers, Gen. Robert W. Cone
told reporters at Association of the United States Army's Aviation Symposium,
held earlier this month.
Cone's remarks sparked further discussion at a Jan. 22 media roundtable, co-hosted by the College of William & Mary and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, known as TRADOC, held on the campus of W&M. Discussions focused on a range of other issues as well that came out of this month's Strategic Trends Seminar, which looked at challenges and opportunities that will test the force in the coming years and decades. The Army already has teamed Apache helicopters and unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan so "there's a potential to augment that capability and in some cases and under specific circumstances to replace manpower," said Maj. Gen. Bill Hix, deputy director, Army Capabilities Integration Center. Dismounted ground robots are already assisting Soldiers, much in the way a bird dog provides extra eyes and ears and a keen sense of smell for a hunter, Hix said, borrowing an analogy.
Cone's remarks sparked further discussion at a Jan. 22 media roundtable, co-hosted by the College of William & Mary and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, known as TRADOC, held on the campus of W&M. Discussions focused on a range of other issues as well that came out of this month's Strategic Trends Seminar, which looked at challenges and opportunities that will test the force in the coming years and decades. The Army already has teamed Apache helicopters and unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan so "there's a potential to augment that capability and in some cases and under specific circumstances to replace manpower," said Maj. Gen. Bill Hix, deputy director, Army Capabilities Integration Center. Dismounted ground robots are already assisting Soldiers, much in the way a bird dog provides extra eyes and ears and a keen sense of smell for a hunter, Hix said, borrowing an analogy.
Written by David
Vergun
Retrieved on 1/23/14
http://www.army.mil/article/118583/Smarter_robots_likely_in_Army_s_future__planners_say/
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