Authored by Austin Campbell and Nicholas Slayton via Task & Purpose,
Four robotic vehicles were sent hunting for enemy targets during a military demonstration at Fort Knox, Kentucky, recently, but only one initially moved.
Guided by satellite imagery, the unmanned vehicle climbed a hill, scanning the surrounding terrain while the other three waited behind. Halfway up, it spotted a potential target and abruptly stopped.
Two other robotic vehicles advanced to provide support before a simulated rocket strike hit a target roughly 300 yards away.
Autonomous off-road vehicles capable of hunting enemy targets might sound like something out of the "Terminator" franchise, but the Oct. 15 demonstration offered a glimpse of how the technology could work on a modern battlefield.
The four experimental vehicles were developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's RACER program, which aims to give unmanned ground vehicles the ability to navigate difficult terrain without human drivers.
The system used satellite images to help locate potential targets, while a human operator could review what the vehicles found and decide whether to launch an explosive drone at them.
The drone demonstration was conducted in response to a request from U.S. European Command, which wanted to explore whether autonomous vehicles could operate ahead of American troops to locate potential enemy forces without putting soldiers directly in harm's way
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