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A ground robot evacuating a wounded Ukrainian soldier was attacked by a Russian drone.
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His battalion said the robot was damaged, but the soldier was protected and had no new injuries.
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Robots are increasingly being used by Ukraine but they are also targets and can put wounded troops in further danger.
New footage shows a ground robot that was transporting a wounded Ukrainian soldier being hit by a Russian drone.
The rescue of the soldiers is an example of how Ukraine uses its growing ground robot fleet, along with moving supplies, laying and clearing mines, and shooting and detonating Russian targets. But it’s a risky move that could put the soldier in greater danger.
Ukraine’s First Separate Medical Battalion shared the video on Monday, stating that the soldier was safely rescued and the robot protected him from any additional injuries during the 3-hour, 25-minute mission.
She said she was rescuing a casualty who was injured by a drone crash and could not walk on her own. His achievement meant navigating territory with a significant Russian presence. The planned return trip was 36 miles.
They decided to send the robot, said the battalion, which is controlled remotely by soldiers who can stay in safer positions. This is when Ukraine typically uses them: Where it is too dangerous for humans to go.
The robot detected a Russian drone shortly after the wounded soldier was loaded onto it, the battalion said. The team decided to keep going at full speed, but the drone hit the robot on its second attempt, two and a half miles into the trip.
The soldier sustained no new injuries from the attack, as he was in the robot’s armored capsule, but the robot was damaged, the battalion said.
He was evacuated from another nearby Ukrainian unit and given the treatment he needed, he said. The robot was also recovered. Business Insider could not independently verify the event.
The footage shows a robot moving through rural areas at night and then stopping, with soldiers helping their wounded comrades on top of it, closing a lid to create a protected space. The robot then continues to drive, but aerial footage appears to show an explosion on the robot.
The video then shows the wounded soldier talking after the mission, along with footage of the damaged robot. The battalion said that his treatment is continuing.
The robots Ukraine is using for evacuations vary in sophistication and price.Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A number of companies are developing Ukraine’s robot fleet, and innovation is rapid, with soldiers even upgrading them on the battlefield.
However, they are risky, particularly if they don’t have cages like the one in this attack. Robots are targets for Russia’s drone watchers.
Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of robotics for Ukraine’s Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, previously told Business Insider that using robots can actually put soldiers at greater risk, as it takes them away from where they could hide or be with their comrades.
They use humans for evacuations where possible, and robots as a last resort.
Robots perform less than 1% of Ukraine’s drone missions, but their use is growing. And the West is testing and making prototypes based on what Ukraine is learning.
Read the original article on Business Insider