 |
| The French Army tests the Spot robot in combat training |
The four-legged robot called Spot by Boston Dynamics has appeared in the United States in a series of exercises and simulations with a group of French cadets to investigate how these currently unarmed robots work with humans.
Google acquired Boston Dynamics in 2013. Although there isn't much information about robots for military use, the company has received military funding over the years.
DARPA funded some of Boston Dynamics' early robots, including Atlas, but the company gradually severed military ties.
Current social conditions prohibit the use of robots as weapons to injure or frighten people or animals.
However, the company is not necessarily against using robots to protect soldiers from harm and is currently exploring the idea of using robots for reconnaissance and other tasks.
After two days of technical training, well-trained soldiers used Spot to carry out various reconnaissance missions, and testing in France appeared to be the first time Spot had been seen in a real military environment.
According to Ouest France, Spot and other robots provide information and support to ground forces and have been used to measure the added value of robots in combat.
Other robots include French-made Nexter ULTRO robots and Shark Robotics Barakuda (robotic sharks), which wear heavy armor to protect advanced soldiers.
The robot reportedly slowed down but kept the forces safe when a soldier said he was killed in the first exercise without a spot but survived the second time thanks to the robot's reconnaissance.
The test was carried out at the end of March as part of the Interarmes military school project at the Saint Cyr Coquidan camp of the French army.
“Four students carried out the applied research training project in three situations: offensive operations to uncover intersections, day and night defensive operations, and city battles,” explains Gerard de Boisposel, a research engineer at the French Army Camp in Saint-Cyr. Kotkiden, one of the exercises.
Boston Dynamics Robot Builder: He knows that the French government and military use his robots, but he wasn't aware of this specific exercise.
It is said that this is neither the first nor the last time that soldiers have used robots for training on the battlefield.