The US Army is apparently searching for cutting-edge technologies to be used in its military service, and new players in the field seem to be popping up, along with an established Chinese manufacturer.
Israeli firm Roboteam is competing with Massachusetts-based Endeavor Robotics over a series of major contracts to build the US army's top-notch generation of ground robots. Those machines will be designed to be smarter and easier to run than the remote-controlled rovers that have helped troops disable bombs for more than 15 years.
Notably at stake is a lucrative contract worth $429 million for 3,000 backpack-sized robots that can defuse bombs and reveal enemy positions. The machines in question are easily manoeuvrable, and can be “carried by infantry for long distances without taxing the soldier,” said Bryan McVeigh, project manager for force projection at the Army's research and contracting centre in Warren, Michigan, as cited by The Times of Israel.
The project is aimed at helping troops “look around the corner, over the next hillside and let the robot be in harm's way and let the robot get shot,” said Paul Scharre, a military technology expert at the Center for a New American Security.
Meanwhile, Chinese, Russian and US firms have recently been increasing their investments in the industry.
The chief of the Army, Gen. Mark Milley, noted that adversaries like China and Russia “are…
