Robot sniper injures with precision
A French firm has invented a remote-controlled robot ‘soldier’, said to be the world’s first, which can accurately shoot to neutralise an enemy without killing them at up to 300m away.
The company, SD4E, says its 4x4 mobile ‘Snibot’ is much more precise than a human sniper and can target effectively to shoot a person in the arms or legs, thus avoiding vital organs.
It means it could be used, for example, where terrorists have taken hostages or to stop a would-be suicide bomber before they set off their bomb.
SD4E say it would allow the army to take prisoners and question them instead of, as is often the case now, killing those who pose a threat because soldiers are not able to shoot precisely enough.
It could also be deployed to protect certain sensitive areas avoiding stress and fatigue to soldiers, the company says.
However a decision to activate the Snibot to shoot would still have to be taken by a human.
The company hopes to persuade the French army to fund production of the robot, arguing that it is a good investment as studies have shown the sector of military robots is likely to grow massively in future years.
However the army has said armed robots are not currently the priority and it is initially focusing more on robots which can help evacuate wounded people, carry equipment or scout out potential mine zones.
SD4E say that they would like to offer it to France but will sell their product to other countries if negotiations fail. American firms are said to be interested in the technology.
