Army deploys four-legged counterterrorism robot for test operations

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Monday that a multi-legged robot, developed through a rapid prototyping project, was test-deployed to the Korean Army last Wednesday.

A rendered image of multi-legged robots developed by the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute [DEFENSE ACQUISITION PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION]

The Army has completed the development of a multi-legged robot for counterterrorism operations and deployed it on a trial basis.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Monday that the robot, developed through a rapid prototyping project, was test-deployed to the Korean Army last Wednesday. The robot will be deployed to Army special forces and one forward division over the next six months to verify its performance and military utility.

Development of the multi-legged robot began in August 2022. The Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute led the project, with active support from the Army and participation from Hyundai Rotem and Rainbow Robotics.

The rapid demonstration project aims to quickly research and develop weapons systems with new technologies within two years in line with the technological development speed of the fourth industrial revolution and to link them to full-scale military usage through demonstration operations.

The multi-legged robot test-deployed to the Korean Army last week can walk on all fours at a speed of over 4 kilometers per hour (2.48 miles per hour) and can overcome vertical obstacles such as stairs over 20 centimeters high.

The robot has day and night cameras for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It can also be equipped with various combat gadgets, such as a remote-fire pistol.

During pilot operations, the robot will practice identifying enemy threats inside buildings before actual troops are sent in during a terrorist attack. It will also verify its ability to perform missions such as suppressing enemies using remote-fire pistols, robotic arms and non-lethal weapons.

In addition, the multi-legged robot will be deployed to an Army division to conduct pilot operations for searches and reconnaissance, surveillance and sentry duty in conjunction with troops to confirm whether it can be used for operations in the front lines.

“This test deployment is the first time that the military has operated a multi-legged walking robot capable of performing combat missions,” said Han Kyung-ho, head of the future business division at DAPA. “We will continue to apply civilian technologies to the defense sector through rapid demonstration projects in the future.”

BY CHO MOON-KYU, LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]