The military plans to use part of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.1 billion) special defense budget to purchase hundreds of robot dogs that can be deployed for patrols, reconnaissance and potentially combat operations, sources said.
Set to be commercially released next year, the robot dog would be equipped with a thermal imaging sensor chip, the sources said, but did not elaborate on whether it would be a human-in-the-loop or fully autonomous system.
The US-made autonomous quadrupedal robots are a more mature technology than humanoid robots, an official with knowledge of the matter said on condition of anonymity.
Photo: Screen grab from Hsiao Bi-khim’s Facebook page
Globally, many defense manufacturers have developed robot dogs that can be purchased off the shelf, they said.
However, the military’s plan is to buy robot platforms from the US and use domestically developed “smart” thermal imagers for deployment as guards at military bases to defend outlying islands, the official said.
Using robot dogs would help solve a shortage of troops to guard the nation’s infrastructure, they said.
Another advantage of the quadrupedal vehicle design is its superior balance, allowing robots to navigate gradients, staircases and unpaved gravel surfaces that characterize local military bases, the official said.
The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s artificial intelligence (AI)-boosted thermal image technology — which is expected to be completed next year — would significantly enhance the robots’ capabilities, they said.
Using algorithms to sharpen images, this prototype device would enhance users’ situational awareness on the battlefield, the official said.
The institute is already planning to develop photonic chip technology that would reduce Taiwan’s dependence on foreign suppliers for image intensifier tubes, which are manufactured by six companies worldwide, they said.
Last month, a government official said the military’s interest in robot dogs in part stemmed from the military’s strategic shift toward focusing on combat operations in towns and cities.
Taiwan’s narrow alleys and streets present a challenge to the mobility of conventional vehicles, but four-legged drones can navigate them with ease, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Robot dogs can conduct reconnaissance and battle damage assessment missions in areas too dangerous or restrictive for infantry or uncrewed aerial vehicles to operate, such as tunnels and ruins, he said.
Uncrewed ground drones can be equipped with gear that can serve as mobile telecommunication relays between ground units and satellites in a contested electronic warfare environment, he said.
The military expects to arm at least some of the robot dogs with machine guns and light anti-armor rockets to take part in combat, the official said.
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