Soon robots on the battlefield? Like many armies around the world, France is preparing for this change and launched the Vulcain project in 2021, which aims to “think about the integration of robots and artificial intelligence in the battle space” by 2040 with the creation of a first experimental robotic unit.
If the presence of this type of technology has always existed within the military, it has continued to increase over time. “Robots in the army have always been. 20 years ago we started thinking about demining robots. Robots that will act against this type of threat”, explains David Schuster, reference officer in robotics of the Army General Staff (EMAT), guest of Tech&Co’s Special Defense Program on May 11.
drone and exoskeleton
According to David Schuster, the French army is currently working on ground robots intended to accompany combat groups deployed in the field. These ultra-mobile machines will be armed and will provide the soldiers with firepower, cannons for example, currently only transportable in vehicles.
With this device, “we provide this firepower to combatants to increase their capacity for aggression,” sums up David Schuster. The French military, which already uses drones but wants to develop more autonomous ones, is also exploring the possibilities linked to exoskeleton technology. However, “we have not found an exoskeleton that makes it possible to reconcile the long-awaited profit with the soldier’s life in the field,” acknowledges David Schuster.
Source: BFM TV
