REX MKI (combat robot)

2021: Robotic Machine Announcement

In mid-September 2021, the Israeli state-owned company Israel Aerospace Industries introduced the REX MKI robot. A remotely controlled armed robotic vehicle is the latest replenishment in the world of unmanned technologies that are rapidly changing the modern battlefield.

Supporters argue that such semi-autonomous machines allow the armies of various states to protect their soldiers, while critics fear that this is another dangerous step towards robots making decisions about life or death for humans.

The robot is controlled using an electronic tablet and can be equipped with two machine guns, cameras and sensors, said Roni Avni, deputy head of autonomous systems at Israel Aerospace Industries. The robot can collect reconnaissance information for ground troops, carry wounded soldiers and supplies during the battle, as well as strike at nearby targets. The tablet can control the machine manually, but many of its functions, including the movement and surveillance system, can work autonomously.

Israel introduced a military robot that can carry the wounded and fire machine guns

With each mission, the device collects more and more data, which is then used for future missions, "said Yonny Gej, an operations expert at the company's robotics division.

Critics express fears that robotic weapons can independently, possibly erroneously, make decisions about striking targets. The senior research associate of department of arms of the Human RightsWatch organization Bonnie Docherti, says that such weapon causes concern because it cannot be trusted in respect of distinction of combatants and civilians or the correct definition of harm which the attacks can cause to the civilians who are nearby.

The defense magazine Janes says that the development of autonomous ground vehicles lags behind the development of autonomous aircraft and boats, since moving by land is much more difficult than by water or air. Unlike the open ocean, vehicles have to deal with pits on the road and know exactly what force needs to be applied to overcome a physical obstacle, the report says.^[1]

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