By Yaakov Lappin, Jewish News Syndicate—
A new autonomous unmanned ground vehicle introduced by Israeli companies Elbit Systems and Roboteam, called “Rook,” can carry out a remarkable number of roles on the battlefield.
Elad Levy, CEO of Roboteam, told JNS that the ground robot is tailor-made to client needs through its ability to be assembled in a system of “boxes,” with each box allowing for clients to choose a different kind of capability—much like assembling Legos.
While one box can act as an electrical engine, others can be used for the robot’s communications, surveillance capabilities, remote-control weapons systems and even drone launchers.
Such remote-control weapons have a person in the loop who provides approval before opening fire due to safety protocols.
Rook can be used to evacuate wounded soldiers, conduct forward reconnaissance of the enemy in combat arenas and even act as a “mother ship,” carrying aerial drones or smaller ground robots to a launch point, according to Levy. Continue Reading…