Pentagon Wants Packs Of Robots To Detect "Non-cooperative Humans"

The Pentagon has put out a request to contractors to develop teams of robots that can search for, detect and track "non-cooperative" humans in "pursuit/evasion scenarios".

The request, which can be read on the Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program website here, calls for a "Multi-Robot Pursuit System" to be operated by one person.

The proposal describes the need to

"...develop a software/hardware suit that would enable a multi-robot team, together with a human operator, to search for and detect a non-cooperative human subject.

The main research task will involve determining the movements of the robot team through the environment to maximize the opportunity to find the subject, while minimizing the chances of missing the subject. If the operator is an active member of the search team, the software should minimize the chance that the operator may encounter the subject."

It is seemingly important to the Pentagon that the operator should not have to come into contact with the person being chased down by the machines. More