Tri-Service
MAARS Mission: The Military Patrol Robot
For years, the US military has been developing a miniature tank to support troops on the battlefield.
The Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System (MAARS), from QinetiQ North America, is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA).
It's also armed with an M240B machine gun and four M203 grenade launchers.
The robot has a battery that can last from three to 12 hours, and can be put on sleep mode for up to a week.
One major issue with its full deployment, however, is a concern by military commanders about collateral damage, since machine-gun bullets can travel further than the sensors on the robot.
The MAARS could be used to support marines on patrol
Also, although the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory aims to have MAARS, or something like it, to help on foot patrols, marines testing it had problems.
When entering buildings, marines found that it was too small to ram through doors and too big to move easily through narrow corridors.
Benefits, however, include the ability to position the robot in hard-to-reach areas where personnel are currently unable to monitor their security, keeping them at a safe distance from enemy fire.
MAARS has been designed for defence and patrol so will use inbuilt AI to help it follow troops or patrol bases.
Its weapons, meanwhile, are human-controlled.
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