Gaza is often described as ‘the world’s largest open-air prison’ because residents’ movements are heavily restricted and controlled in that area. And now, to move forward, Israel’s military is sending tank-like robots, called Jaguars, armed with machine guns to guard the Israel-Gaza border.
Developed by the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a revolutionary semi-autonomous robotic system can substitute combat soldiers on Israel’s borders and make the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) a more efficient and technologically advanced military.
Jaguar is based on a six-wheeled chassis and is equipped with a 7.62 mm MAG machine gun which operates both while stationary and on the move. The military combat robot utilizes high-resolution cameras, transmitters, powerful headlights, and a remote-controlled PA system. Additionally, it has the ability to self-destruct if it falls into enemy hands.
The military robot also possesses the ability to self-drive to a set destination and knows how to spot and bypass obstacles and bumps using sensors and an advanced driving system, all while IDF observers and commanders have full operational control.
Jaguar has already been photographed at the border close to the fencing, where it’s expected to handle crowd dispersal and perhaps even shoot down armed combatants trying to enter or fire projectiles into Israel. Under most circumstances, a human operator will actually tell the robot to fire its machine gun.
The human operator needs to actually pull the trigger on the Jaguar’s Pitbull remote weapon system by using a so-called “point-and-shoot” interface. The Jaguar’s AI then automatically adjusts its aim to better target whatever it thinks the soldier was telling it to fire at. The pre-programmed scenarios enable the UGV to fire autonomously.
The deployment of the Jaguar may accomplish its stated goal of keeping more Israeli soldiers out of harm’s way. However, it’s hard to imagine the deployment of killer robots will do anything except make matters worse.
