Russian Killer "Marker" Robots Deployed To Ukraine | The Robots Explained

It's been a little over a year since Russia announced that it had finished its research on its Marker Combat Robot and according to the reports, they're getting ready to be deployed into Ukraine. In what has been described as a baptism of fire, the Marker Robots will be deployed onto the battlefields of eastern Ukraine and will indeed lay the groundwork for unmanned combat units and their military use of them in the future. So what does Ukraine have to expect regarding the Marker Combat Robot? Well, make sure you stick around to find out everything you need to know about Russia's newest model of UGVs welcome to Best Cool Tech where we examine all of the latest gadgets and technology shaping our world let's dive in now if you're picturing a futuristic humanoid combat robot that's not what you'll find in the marker instead the uncrewed ground vehicle takes a form similar to that of a tank and like a tank it can be equipped with an entire arsenal of weaponry and tech the Marker moves using a tracking platform the same way a tank or excavator would and it comes with a varying array of sensors that allow the machine to move through and across most terrain autonomously the UGV can be outfitted with anything from drones to machine guns or even anti-tank missiles all of which can be deployed in high-stakes combat zones without risking lives at least for the side that deploy the Marker the marker was designed and built by Android Technologies under the commission of the Advanced Research Foundation which is a part of Russia's DRPA analog the first demonstration of of the UGV was given in 2019, when the creators showcased the robot's ability to track its targets. Now, we may not be able to track everyone, but we can track whether or not you're enjoying this video by whether or not you hit that like button. So, if you're finding this information on the Marker Combat Robot interesting, be sure to like the video and subscribe to our channel to ensure you don't miss a single video about the latest and greatest in cool technology. The Marker also showcased its ability to follow the movements indicated by the scope of an infantry spotter's rifle. That means that not only is the Marker autonomous, but its ever-evolving arsenal of weapons could potentially be controlled by a human from a remote location. And in an equally flashy display, the combat robot also proved that it was able to move in a formation while accompanying a squadron of 15 small quadcopter drones. This lines up with the original intention for the Marker concept, which was to act as a testing tool for the Russian military to explore potential military operations that would include autonomous ground units, but in a controlled testing environment. It was intended to be used as a way for them to gauge what may or may not be possible should everything align properly in future battlefield scenarios. According to Samuel Bendit, a senior member at the Center for New American Security and Naval Analysts, the Marker Combat Robot is Russia's most visible R&D project involving ground autonomy, swarm development, ground robot and drone teaming, and manned-unmanned teaming. He also mentioned that the robot will also act as a testbed for AI programming that is capable of things like natural language processing, so that it could understand orders, recognize voice commands, and even analyze dialogue. Now remember, the Marker was showcased in 2019. Fast forward to January of 2022, Russia had begun testing the autonomous ground unit in conventional settings. But at this point, they were no longer testing the robot, but instead testing how they could incorporate it into their regime. At the time, they were less concerned with introducing any new combat formations and instead were using the Marker as a tool in a few bomb squadrons or as a scouting robot on standard reconnaissance duties. This allowed Russia to test the markers communication systems as well as the sensors on board the tank, which undoubtedly provided the engineers with the information they needed to improve the bot. Once this proved to be a successful test of the markers functionality, Russia began working on new combat formations that would include the UGVs as well as seeing if they could be incorporated seamlessly into existing formations. And as of right now, it's looking like the Russian military is getting ready to deploy marker combat robots to aid them in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. According to reports that started being published around January 15, 2023, the Russian government has announced that they will be deploying their new autonomous ground units to the front lines. Dmitry Rogozin, the current head of the military advisor group known as the Tsar Wolves and the former head of Roscosmos, said that the marker is going to work autonomously to perform high-risk combat missions. It will also be able to assist the Russian forces by locating targets from a range of up to 9.3 miles. And in order to keep casualties down to a minimum, it's also been reported that the Marker is able to fire upon enemy combatants after pinpointing their location. But it will also be able to distinguish between military personnel and civilians so that the robot will only target those who pose a direct threat. And if the reports are accurate, then the Marker combat robot is even able to aim at and hit flying discs and other aerial artillery many times faster than people do. The Marker also is said to have the most advanced autonomous driving skills in Russia. This is thanks to its object recognition AI which would also allow the UGV to act as a courier of sorts or even help with the evacuation of wounded military personnel and civilians. At the end of the day, the whole point of the AI-powered combat robot was in order to replace human combatants with expendable machines, especially on dangerous and high-risk missions. And that could have huge impacts on the current and future state of the conflict that's going on in Ukraine right now. That being said, Samuel Bendeth has also stated that this type of UGV isn't ready to navigate on its own in a very complex battle space when referring to the marker bots being deployed in Ukraine meaning that while they may still prove effective in certain scenarios they aren't quite ready to just take over in the very complicated environment of the Ukraine battle space it should also be noted that the marker combat robot isn't the only or even the first autonomous ground unit to be created for the Russian military it's only the latest a very similar unmanned ground vehicle to the Marker is its predecessor, the Uran-9. It was developed by JSC 766 UPTK and was produced in 2015, though it didn't officially cease service until 2019. The Uran-9 was designed to provide the military with remote reconnaissance and has since been used in various situations by the Counterterrorism Unit, Recon Units, as well as other various military units, mainly in urban environments. This UGV is outfitted with a variety of weapons including a turret mount capable of supporting various light and medium-caliber weapons and missiles. The hull of the Uran-9 is covered in steel armor plating that gives it resistance to small arms as well as shell splinters. As of right now, there have been a total of 342 units produced. Another UGV similar to the Marker is the Uran-6, which was also created by JSC, specifically for the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Unlike the 9, which was a combat robot, the Uran-6 was designed as a multifunctional mine clearing robotic system. It is capable of being deployed for mine reconnaissance as well as area clearance operations in order to locate, and then safely disarm or remove explosives. The mine sweeping unit was created to be a small, lightweight machine that essentially removes the risk that standard personnel would take when disarming an explosive themselves. The Uran-6 can be equipped with various operating tools, including a 1.8-meter-wide bulldozer blade as well as a robotic arm for more delicate situations. Now, two upcoming UGVs that Russia has claimed to be promising are a pair of robot tanks that are being specifically designed for heavy combat and assisting infantry. The heavier, autonomous tank, the Sherm is designed to utilize a 125mm cannon and would mainly be used for urban combat. Whereas the much lighter UGV, the Surotnik, is believed to be designed for specific manned-unmanned teaming arrangements, hence the meaning of the name Surotnik, which also translates to ally. As of right now, there hasn't been any word on whether the Sherm or the Surotnik will be deployed in Ukraine alongside the Marker. But according to the reports, the Marker will be deployed onto the battlefield immediately. So what do you think? Is the Marker combat robot going to have a significant impact on the way UGVs are designed in the future? Is it the beginning of the Skynet scenario where robots take over the world? Take aim in the comments section below and let her fly. Also, make sure to like and subscribe for more best cool tech. Thanks for watching. you in the next one.