Israeli Military Robots

'We can be a world superpower in robotics'

Israel is one of the leading robotics nations in the world based on a strong commitment and high investment in science and technology. Israel is moving quickly into an era of military robotics by developing an army of unmanned vehicles for ground, air and sea missions. According to Giora Katz, vice president of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., one of Israel's leading weapons manufacturers, one-third of Israel's military machines will be unmanned in 10 to 15 years. 

In this entry, i will show you 2 types of Israeli Military Robots:

-VIPeR^® (Versatile, Intelligent, Portable Robot)
-Robotic Snake (Un-named yet)

1. VIPeR^® (Versatile, Intelligent, Portable Robot)

VIPeR is a small, lightweight, one-person portable robot, capable of climbing stairs and obstacles to carry out a variety of missions, saving soldiers lives and enabling more effective combat performance.VIPeR^® was developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) within the framework of its Portable Unmanned Ground Vehicle (PUGV) program, and in close cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D) and currently serves the infantry platoons.

For the Israeli-manufactured VIPeR, delivering firepower isn't an afterthought — it's practically job one.  Designed to act as a partner to dismounted troops in urban environments, the 9-in.-tall, 25-pound VIPeR can accept various sensor packages, including infrared cameras and software that maps buildings as the drone moves through them, as well as an explosives sniffer and a device that shoots jets of water to disarm bombs. But it also can open fire with a mini-Uzi submachine gun or release grenades from a 4-ft.-long robotic arm.

At just 18 in. wide, and equipped with innovative treads that change shape to help boost it over obstacles, the tiny drone can navigate cramped hallways and climb stairs to seek out targets. It can't open fire autonomously, like South Korea's Intelligent Surveillance & Security Guard Robot, essentially an armed guard tower that can target potential intruders.

VIPeR is remotely controlled via a harness and helmet-mounted display, with a human operator ultimately deciding whether to pull the trigger.
The small robot will maneuver with an "integrated wheeled/track system, powered by two electrical motors, and a ’scorpion tail’ for stabilization," which should let it move "over rough terrain, while handling obstacles, climbing steps or crawling into confined subterranean spaces and caves."

Here's the videos:

VIPeR (1st video)

VIPeR (2nd video)

2. Robotic Snake

A robot snake with a camera and microphone in its head is the Israeli military's latest battlefield weapon. A battlefield robot snake is developed by the Israel Defense Force (IDF). The snake is able to twisting into caves, tunnels, cracks and buildings. It's remote-controlled by a soldier, who uses a laptop both to guide the robot and to see and hear what it's feeding back like broadcasting pictures and sound back to the controller.

The IDF's robot snake appears to be about two meters long, and is covered with military camouflage colors. According to reports, military researchers intend to deploy the snake with combat units. It has a single camera "eye" at the front end of the robot.



The snakelike robot is able to lift its forward sections high to see over obstacles.; it can crawl into and slither effectively through very tight spaces. There are caves and bunkers that could be explored by robot. It can provide pictures and video to the remote operator. It is the subject of research for a number of specific uses by the military.

The Israel Defense Forces plan to equip combat units with search-and-surveillance models, which could also be useful to find survivors trapped within collapsed buildings. Future models might be used to plant bombs in enemy facilities.

Here's the videos:

Israeli Military Robotic Snake (1st Video)

Israeli Military Robotic Snake (2nd Video) 

Writer,

Patrick Ong Tiong Han

November 2nd 2010 

Military Robots in WW2

There is no doubt about it: Robots are destined for use on the battlefield. Researchers are trying to find the best mechatronic device to fight, investigate, cover rough terrain, survive explosions, and a myriad of other possibilities. Who is to stimulate this research?
For the development of military robots and drones, the government funds many public and private companies. Military ground robots must survive not only under fire but also in harsh environmental conditions. In this special webcast on mechatronics, Design News goes behind the scenes to explore how design engineers at several large and small robot design and fabrication companies tackle the design of these complex mechatronics systems, the design and development tools they use, and how they test their designs.
Broadly defined, military robots date back to World War II and the Cold War in the form of the German Goliath tracked mines and the Soviet teletanks. 

1. Goliath tracked mine (Nazi Germany)

The Goliath tracked mine was an unmanned German-engineered demolition vehicle. Employed by the Wehrmacht duringWorld War II, this caterpillar-tracked vehicle was approximately four feet long, two wide, and one tall. It carried 75–100 kg (165–220 lb) of high explosives and was intended to be used for multiple purposes, such as destroying tanks, disrupting dense infantry formations, and demolition of buildings and bridges.






Built in three versions; the first (Goliath E) powered by electic motors (2,500 built) was found to lack the power and range (particularly in cold weather) was subsequently replaced by an improved model (Goliath V) powered by a 702cc twin cylinder motorcycle engine. Finally a larger version was built to carry a 100kg explosive charge. In total around 4,500 of all versions were built seeing much service in both demolition and mine-clearing tasks.
Goliaths were used on all fronts where the Wehrmacht fought, beginning in spring 1942. They were used principally by specialized Panzer andcombat engineer units. 
Goliaths were used most notoriously in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, as Wehrmacht and SS units were deployed to crush fierce Polish resistance by the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa). As the Poles had only a small number of antitank weapons, volunteers were often sent to cut off the command cables of the Goliath before it reached its intended target.^{[citation needed]} A few Goliaths were also seen on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, though most were rendered inoperative due to artillery blasts severing their command cables.
Although a total of 7,564 Goliaths were produced, the single-use weapon was not considered a success due to the high unit cost, low speed (only just above 6 mph, or 9.5 km/h), poor ground clearance (just 11.4 centimeters), vulnerable command cables and thin armour which failed to protect the remote bomb from any form of antitank weapons. However, the Goliath did help lay the foundation for post-WWII advances in remote-controlled vehicle technologies.

2. Teletanks (Soviet Union)

Teletank is a remotely controlled unmanned tank used in combat to minimize human casualties. It was a series of wireless remotely controlled unmanned robotic tanks produced in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and early 1940s. They saw some use in combat during early World War II, referred to as the Winter War in Russia. A teletank is controlled by radio from a control tank at a distance of 500–1,500 meters, the two constituting a telemechanical group. 


Teletanks were used by the Soviet Red Army in theWinter War and fielded at least two teletank battalions at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. 


Teletanks were equipped with DT machine guns, flamethrowers, smoke canisters, and sometimes a special 200–700 kg time bomb in an armored box, dropped by the tank near the enemy's fortifications and used to destroy bunkers up to four levels below ground. Teletanks were also designed to be capable of using chemical weapons, although they were not used in combat. Each teletank, depending on model was able to recognize sixteen to twenty-four different commands sent via radio on two possible frequencies to avoid interference and jamming. Teletanks were built on the basis of T-18,T-26, T-38, BT-5 and BT-7 tanks.

Writer,

Patrick Ong Tiong Han

October 17th 2010

Submarine Aircraft Carrier and 90 degree rotated Folded Wings.

The I-400 class submarine was the brainchild of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he conceived the idea of taking the war to the United States mainland by making aerial attacks against cities along the US western and eastern seaboards using submarine-launched naval aircraft. Yamamoto submitted the resulting proposal to Fleet Headquarters on 13 January 1942. Following Yamamoto's death during an inspection tour of the Solomon Islands in April 1943, the number of aircraft-carrying submarines to be built was reduced from eighteen to nine, then five and finally three. The Sen Toku I-400 class submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy were the largest submarines of World War II, the largest non-nuclear submarines ever constructed. These were submarine aircraft carriers and each of them was able to carry 3 Aichi M6A Seiran aircraft underwater to their destinations. They also carried torpedoes for close range combat and were designed to surface, launch the planes then dive again quickly before they were discovered. The submarine included radar and radar detectors and watertight hanger for three Aichi M6A Seiran seaplanes. The submarine had a range of 37,500 nautical miles. Construction began on January 18, 1943 and Completed on December 30, 1944 and assigned to Captain Tosho Kusaka. The three I-400 class submarines were far larger than anything ever seen before. She was the world's largest submarine.  Above her main deck rose a 115 foot long, 12 foot diameter, hangar housing three torpedo-bombers.  These floatplanes were rolled out through a massive hydraulic door onto an 85 foot pneumatic catapult. The I-400 was equipped with a snorkel, radar, radar detectors, and capacious fuel tanks that gave her a range one and a half times around the world.  She was armed with eight torpedo tubes, a 5.5 inch 50 caliber deck gun, a bridge 25mm antiaircraft gun, and three triple 25mm A/A mounts atop her hangar. The most unusual feature was that they each carried three floatplane bombers (and parts for a fourth), a feat never achieved by any other class of submarine.  These submarines included a unique weapon system: a watertight deck hanger capable of transporting three Aichi M6A1 Seiran floatplanes for offensive operations.  These aircraft folded to fit into the 115-foot cylindrical hangar, which was slightly offset to starboard and opened forward to access the catapult. These folding floatplanes could be readied for flight in only minutes and launched by catapult.

It was planned to use the I-400 along to participate in a daring plan to attack the Panama Canal and disable its locks, or even plant to attack American cities. No book to date has tackled this incredible subject matter, and the authors debunk myths and facts of the I-400's wartime service and mission. . In June 1945 the decision was made to switch targets to hit USN anchorage at Ulithi Atoll. The plan was code-named Arashi (storm) for the I-400 and I-401 to use its Serians on Kamikaze attacks on any carriers based there. The two subs departed Ominato on July 23, 1945. At sea, the sub suffered an electrical fire on August 5th that forced it to surface to repair the damage, but successfully reached their rendezvous point, 100 miles miles south of Ulithi on August 14th, but the I-401 was not there. The strike date was set for August 17th, but Japan surrendered on the 15th.

Units	18 (Planned), 3( completed)
Ships	I-400, I-401, and I-402
Year(s) Completed	1944-1945
Displacement	5,223 tons / 6,560 tons
Dimensions	400.3 ft x 39.3 ft x 23 ft
Machinery	4 diesels: 7,700 hp electric motors: 2,400 hp
Speed	18.75 knots / 6.5 knots
Range	37,500 nm @ 14 knots
Armament	8x533mm TT fwd + 1x14cm/50 cal. 20 torpedoes.
Max. Depth	100 m
Crew	144 officers and men

Aichi M6A1 Seiran

The Aichi M6A Seiran ("Mountain Haze") was a submarine-launched attack floatplane designed for the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. It was intended to operate from I-400 class submarines whose original mission was to conduct aerial attacks against the United States. From the late 1920s, the Imperial Japanese Navy had developed a doctrine of operating floatplanes from submarines to search for targets. To equip the submarine aircraft carriers, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service requested that Aichi design a folding attack aircraft with a range of 1,500 km (800 nautical miles) and a speed of 556 km/h (300 knots) for use aboard the I-400 submarines but the difficulties in doing so a completely new design was initiated. Aichi's final design, designated AM-24 by Aichi and given the military designation M6A1, was a two-seat, low-winged monoplane powered by a 1,400 hp Aichi AE1P Atsuta 30 engine (a licence-built copy of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 liquid-cooled V12 engine). The original specification dispensed with a traditional undercarriage but it was later decided to fit the aircraft with detachable twin floats to increase its versatility. If conditions permitted, these would allow the aircraft to alight next to the submarine, be recovered by crane and then re-used. The floats could be jettisoned in flight to increase performance or left off altogether for one-way missions. The Seiran's wings rotated 90 degrees and folded back hydraulically against the aircraft's fuselage (with the tail also folding down) and can "fold" down to fit in an 11-foot 6-inch hangar tube

Each of these monoplanes could carry one aerial torpedo or a bomb weighing up to 800kg.  Powered by the 1,400hp Atsuta 32 engine they had a top speed of 295mph and were credited with a range of 642 nautical miles. The Sen Toku submarines carried four aerial torpedoes, three 800kg bombs, and twelve 250kg bombs to arm these aircraft.  These aircraft had their assembly points coated with fluorescent paint to ease assembly in the dark, so four trained men could prepare an aircraft for launch in seven minutes.  All three aircraft could be prepared, armed, and launched in 45 minutes.  The only one was ever recovered Seiran airplane is displayed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Writer,

Patrick Ong Tiong Han

September 26th 2010