Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida begun using robotic dogs to patrol parts of the base that don’t demand a human presence, according to a news release.
“These robot dogs will be used as a force multiplier for enhanced situational awareness by patrolling areas that aren’t desirable for human beings and vehicles.” Maj. Jordan Criss, 325th Security Forces Squadron commander at the base, said in the release.
However, the Florida base’s robots were developed by Philadelphia-based technology company Ghost Robotics. Prototypes were tested at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base in September and proved capable in support and reconnaissance roles.
The four-legged computerized canines are semi-autonomous and carry cameras to track activities in front of them and inform people at base security headquarters about what’s going on.
“We will be able to drive them via a virtual-reality headset within our Base Defense Operations Center,” Criss explained. “We will be able to see exactly what the robot dog is detecting through its mobile camera and sensor platform if desired, we will also be able to issue verbal commands to a person or people through a radio attached to the dogs.”
An unmanned ground vehicle is tested at Tyndall Air Force Base. Tyndall is one of the first military bases to implement the semi-autonomous UGV’s into their defense regiment, they will aid in reconnaissance and enhanced security patrolling operations across the base.
