Latest Robotic Technology in Use by Military

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 25, 2011 --

The latest robotic technology is not only shaping the future of warfare but also having a big impact on the modern day battlefield even as you read this. Militaries of approximately 50 - 80 countries from all over the world are either already utilizing military robots or are in the process of building or acquiring the latest robotic technology to give that strategic and operational edge to their defense systems. These military robots come in many shapes and sizes and the military is rather reluctant to call them ‘robots’, which is also why military robots are not as widely known about as they should have been. They are referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and even unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

Now, they do sound more familiar: you’d have read about Drone (a weaponized UAV) strikes in Afghanistan, and about remote-controlled mine detection vehicles and so on. The reason why it never struck you that the latest robotic technology has already made military robots a reality is twofold: firstly, the military insists on calling them more technical sounding names than just the generic term robot and secondly, popular culture has deeply ingrained the image of military robots in our minds either as intelligent decision capable foot soldiers or massive mecha-tanks.

We never pictured them as just the regular vehicles minus a driver or pilot inside them. They are controlled not from the cockpit but from a remote location. The day may come when science-fiction portrayals of the use of the latest robotic technology in warfare may be real. Until then, military robots are being put to great use by the military: supplementing human effort in certain battlefield situations and lessening exposure of humans to hazardous conditions. Think: if the UAV becomes the norm, so many pilots who die in crashes would be saved.

Recently conducted studies have projected that the global military market for the latest robotic technology products will grow from $5.8 billion to over $8 billion by 2016.

The factors driving the growth of the defense robotics market are as follows:

• Strong desire to reduce hazardous human involvement i.e. to ensure, as far as practical, to have human military elements away from the actual theatre of operations.

• Emerging new changes in basic tactics requiring different reconnaissance and combat equipment.

• The need to reduce military spending: this may sound like an oxymoron given the cost of the latest robotic technology, but by saving human lives in lieu, you save the effort and money that goes into training them. Also, there’s lesser of the bad press and lesser spending on public relations to counter that.

• Developments in the field of materials science, computer science, etc are opening up new possibilities for use of robots in hitherto unexplored environments and situations due to their complete unsuitability for humans. The latest robotic technology is already being applied to non military industrial uses that would be impossible for humans.

At the same time, continuing economic instability are negatively impacting defense spending, while a general lack of active conflicts in most of the world also makes it hard to justify spending on the latest robotic technology to the taxpaying public. Also, the ethical dilemmas of using robots in active warfare are often raised as military robots become increasingly ingrained in the prevailing war doctrine.

The aforementioned study delineates the current scenario of the global defense robotics market and analyzes its growth potential from 2011 onwards, with detailed sales projections chalked out for at markets and submarkets at various levels. It also examines the most promising developments in the latest robotic technology that may impact procurement decisions over the given period.

This report maintains that the market for military robots would continue to be healthy throughout the projected period of growth and beyond, with more possibilities opening up as the latest robotic technology is discovering new horizons with alarming regularity.
http://roboticsnedir.com/

robot world     robotic devices     robotic technology     robotics blog     robotics news