Gaza Becomes Israel’s Testing Ground for US- and Israeli-made Military Robots

by Sagi Cohen, reposted from Ha’aretz, March 3, 2024

NOTE: Israel has long used Gaza as a testing ground for new weaponry that it later markets around the world. Avi Hasson, chief executive of Startup Nation Central, an Israeli tech incubator, recently said, “In general the war in Gaza presents threats, but also opportunities to test emerging technologies in the field.”

In an effort to avoid harming soldiers and dogs, the IDF has been experimenting with the use of robots and remote-controlled dogs in the Gaza War. Most of the tests have been with a “robot dog,” which is also equipped with a drone and can replace or reinforce the Oketz Unit’s dogs in certain situations. Unmanned remote-control D9 bulldozers are also being used.

It is nothing new for the IDF to use robots and unmanned ground vehicles, especially by elite units and the Yahalom Unit operating in the tunnels. However, there have also been unsuccessful projects. The October 7 attack, which showed starkly that it is not possible to rely solely on technology, strengthened doubts about these developments. But defense establishment officials confirm that there has been a leap in the use and sophistication of robots on the battlefield.

A prominent example is the procurement of Vision 60 units, a dog-shaped walking robot made by Philadelphia-based Ghost Robotics. The first four units entered military service during the war, financed by donors. The defense establishment subsequently procured more units. Another robot, called the Rooster, is installed on the robot’s back, creating a kind of ground robot and drone, jointly developed by Israeli startup Robotican and the Defense Research & Development Directorate.

The robots’ integration is the result of the recently announced collaboration between Ghost Robotics and Robotican , which was founded in 2013 and currently operates with no external financing and has about 40 employees. Robotican is an importer that also equips the robot with a software platform and specific autonomous capabilities.

The robot’s primary use is for initial surveillance of buildings, open spaces and tunnels to verify that there are no IEDs or terrorists in them, without jeopardizing Oketz Unit soldiers and dogs. The robot dogs have taken “casualties” to date: a number of have been damaged or destroyed.

The robot dogs have some advantages over real dogs; they include numerous sensors and a more stable filming platform compared with cameras carried by dogs. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal in December, Israel has begun using the robots in tunnels, partly because the ground is full of garbage and obstacles that hinder the progress of other robots in use by the IDF.

According to the Ghost Robotics website, the robot dog is equipped with sensors and a system that enables it to operate in an unknown environment and recover and get up after falling or slipping. It can walk for up to a distance of 10 kilometers at a speed of three meters per second, and can work for up to three hours. If necessary, the Rooster robot, installed on the Vision 60’s back, comes into use.

The Rooster is a drone inside a wheeled cage, so it can be move over the ground on wheels, but, if necessary, can also “jump” and fly over obstacles and steps and go through windows.

“The objective is to enter before the soldiers and identify traps and other hazards,” explains Robotican CEO Hagai Balshai. “This robot has been in use for several years, but because of the characteristics of urban and underground warfare, it has made a significant leap forward.”