The Department of Defense is taking a page out of the book of director James Cameron, announcing that it will develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier’s surrogate.
In its newly released budget, Defense officials say they will utilize the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to examine the project. The agency also allotted $7 million for a project titled “Avatar.”
According the agency, “the Avatar program will develop interfaces and algorithms to enable a soldier to effectively partner with a semi-autonomous bi-pedal machine and allow it to act as the soldier’s surrogate.”
The project is the latest in a series announced by the organization. Already this year DARPA has announced the Fixed Wireless at a Distance program, which seeks to tackle the problem of stationary infrastructure designed specifically to overcome the challenge inherent with cell communication in remote areas. The organization also announced plans to create a mobile robot unit capable of carrying a considerable load from dismounted squad members, follow them through rugged terrain and interact with them in a natural way, similar to the way a trained animal and its handler interact.
DARPA says its origins go back to 1958, the agency mission being ”to prevent strategic surprise from negatively impacting U.S. national security and create strategic surprise for U.S. adversaries by maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. military.” DARPA’s research in robotics, however, in a global perspective, is among research efforts by other nations toward discovering what is possible in robotics for battle. Other nations also seek ways to place less human risk on their troops through robotics. Israel’s Giora Katz, vice president of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has said that “We are moving into the robotic era.” Reports say over 40 countries have military-robotics programs.
