Army may soon get robots to help tackle militants, insurgents

The Indian Army could soon turn to robots for help against stone-pelting mobs and terror attacks in the Kashmir Valley.

Reports today said the defence ministry has approved an Army proposal for 544 robots to be used during anti-insurgency operations. Such robotic weapons will help security forces in counter-insurgency as well as counter-terror operations.

This move might to reduce the number of injuries the soldiers suffer when faced with armed militants or even stone-pelting protesters.

For the past eight months, CAIR, a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organisation leading India's research in defence-related artificial intelligence, has been working on this project.

These robots are being built keeping in mind the current military scenario which demands operations in different environments and terrain. Besides, the robots will also be able to work in indoor conditions at various key establishments.

''The way the situation is evolving (in J&K), it may just be a matter of time when security forces as a whole, and Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in particular, will be facing threats in built-up and super built-up areas,'' the Army reportedly said, making a strong case for robotic platforms.

The robots to be made indigenously could be used to deliver weapons like stun grenades at militant hideouts besides gathering real-time inputs prior to manual insertion, the reports said, though they were scanty on details.

The ''lightweight and rugged'' robots will consist of several subsystems such as surveillance cameras and transmission systems with a range of 200 metres, the Army added.