The US Army is exploring how to use humanoid robots to perform tasks that put its soldiers in danger, and one candidate that has caught its eye is Alex. Developed by the Florida Institute of Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), Alex is a machine that has just been selected Five winners of the xTechHumanoid contest.
Its main features are that it incorporates ballistic protection and combines AI with human control to operate in complex situations, although it is not yet part of an operational military unit. In addition, Alex has 29 joints and mechanisms of movement specially designed to facilitate his movement on uneven terrain.
As explained by IHMC in its official documentation, the robot has its own processing system, sensors and power supply. Thanks to this, you can work out of the facilities prepared for this machine. In fact, its developers want to enable it Move around buildings, overcome obstacles and enter spaces with stairs or ruins Where sending a person may cause substantial risk.
The army is looking for robots capable of taking on dangerous tasks
Alex’s selection is part of xTechHumanoid, a competition that received 103 proposals and gathered its finalists at the Quantico military base in September. In addition to IHMC humanoids, technologies related to energy storage and manufacturing, touch sensors and control programs also won awards.
Thus, the Army intends to take advantage of these initiatives to accelerate the development of new equipment, although it has not detailed what effects Alex’s protection can withstand, nor has it confirmed its future deployment. Surprisingly, interest in these machines is not unique to the United States, as a Reuters investigation revealed in September China is studying military applications of humanoids From operations to reconnaissance operations in urban environments.
At this point, a significant portion of these projects remain in the experimental phase, but Alex’s selection reflects the extent to which the military is interested in developing machines that can accompany their troops or otherwise enter particularly dangerous areas.
Picture | US Army
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