Robots on IDF Patrol

August 5, 2008

Employing state-of-the-art technologies and various combinations of payloads, the Guardium UGV could be deployed in either closed perimeter sites, such as airports, energy plants and other strategic assets, or as a border patrol and protection apparatus. It was designed not only to perform routine patrolling missions, but also to react to unscheduled events in line with preprogrammed guidelines.

“Representatives of armies with troops who are taking high casualties in asymmetric warfare from threats like roadside bombs get excited about this product,” said Erez Peled, general manager of G-Nius. The control panel includes two large screens and a joystick. If the operator wants to take control, he can do so from a steering wheel, gas and brake pedals that lend the console the look of a video arcade game. “Any kid who grew up with a PlayStation will be able to come in here and learn this in seconds,” Peled said. The price tag is US $600,000.

In June, The Jerusalem Post reported that another patrolling robot, much smaller than the Guardium—the size and shape of a vacuum cleaner—has been developed by Bar-Ilan University’s computer sciences department. Researcher Dr. Gal Kaminka’s study has enabled robots to work together as a team, new to the field of robotics, but they are equipped only with warning systems and sensors, not guns. Human soldiers would still need to respond to incursions.