Army to field autonomous search and destroy robot

The Army will soon field a security-guard robot that can walk its beat without human intervention, avoiding fixed and moving obstacles and detect intruders up to 300 meters away.

The 9-foot, 3,500-pound Mobile Detection Assessment Response System (MDARS) uses inertial and GPS navigation to roll around at 20 mph while beaming radar and infrared images to a control station, say Army and General Dynamics Robotics Systems officials. The MDARS radar can scan the surrounding area out to 300 meters twice a second, said GDRS programmers.

“Most of the robots we have clearing caves in Iraq and Afghanistan are tele-operated, meaning a human must direct their every move. This robot uses semi-autonomous navigation and can avoid obstacles and find its own way. This is a significant step forward,” said a DoD official with the Physical Security Action Group.

Read the rest at Army Times

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