Russian military has deployed 4 Marker combat robots equipped with powerful anti-tank weapons in the Donbas region.
“The first 4 Marker robots have arrived in the Donbas area on time. We are loading target images, building battle algorithms to set up combat squads, as well as installing powerful anti-tank weapons. Force,” former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, leader of the “Tsar Wolf” military advisory group, wrote on Telegram on February 2.
Built by Android Technologies for the Advanced Research Foundation, Russia’s DARPA analog, Marker robot is an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV), similar in form if not armament to a tank. And like a tank, it has a tracked platform, onto which a range of sensors and weapons can be added. These include a turret with machine guns and anti-tank missiles, as well as a case that can launch drones.
These robots are designed specifically for military purposes, such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and combat operations.
They use Artificial Intelligence and are capable of operating in hazardous environments and conduct tasks that are too dangerous for humans.
Oleg Martyanov, head of the Robot Technology Development Center of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research (FPI), said that the manufacturer “taught” Marker the skill of hitting targets with a rifle many times faster than a human. Emphasizing that they can distinguish between civilians and soldiers to select targets that “pose a direct threat.”