Fighting robot for the army of Russia. On video and in life
Not so long ago, a ten-minute animated video began to circulate on the Internet, demonstrating the capabilities of a certain combat Robot. It tells how a formation of three remote-controlled vehicles breaks through enemy positions and takes out the wounded, destroying several enemy along the way. tanks and helicopters. Comments on the video immediately divided into three conditional groups. Proponents of the first opinion expressed themselves in an envious vein, wishing that such a technique was in service with our army. Other commentators criticized the technical aspects of the project, appealing to its various features, as well as considering the possibilities of such a technique if it existed not only in the form of a “hero” of the video. Finally, the third group of speakers, as always, began to blame the project, and at the same time its authors and the military, for the uselessness and excessive spending of money. The third opinion can not be considered - as it soon became known, the video was created at the initiative of the authors of the project and does not claim to be realistic. Its main purpose is to demonstrate the ideas embodied in the project.
As it turned out later, a remotely controlled mobile robot (this is what the machine is currently called) is the subject of a patent owned by a certain D.K. Semenov. Soon the text of the patent application was also discovered, from which it is possible to extract quite interesting information about constructive and conceptual decisions. The project involves the creation of a self-propelled light-armored remotely controlled vehicle capable of performing various combat missions, from reconnaissance to attacking enemy positions. This is due to the specific appearance of the robot - a relatively small armored body with a multi-wheeled chassis and a developed weapon system.
To protect against the bullets and fragments of enemy shells, a mobile robot is supposed to be equipped with ceramic armor. A large number of relatively small tiles will allow you to protect the entire complex-shaped hull with great efficiency. Inside the armored hull is placed the power plant (gasoline or diesel engine), electric current generator, battery, control systems, as well as ammunition. According to the text of the patent application, the prospective robot must move using six motor-wheels. Each of them should be located on a damping column with a swivel mechanism. Thus, all six wheels of the vehicle can rotate around a vertical axis and due to this they can be used for taxiing. As for the use of electric motors placed inside the wheels, this design allows you to remove transmission mechanisms from the design and thereby save a sufficiently large volume inside the armored hull.
On the roof of the robot case, the author of the project proposes to mount a swivel tower for barreled weapons. For guidance, it can be equipped with high torque electric motors. With the receiver systems associated sighting video camera. A few more cameras are supposed to be installed on the case in such a way that they provide all-round visibility. To protect the cameras from damage, Semenov proposes to use two technical solutions at once. Firstly, all the optics of the robot must be covered by armor with movable shutters, and secondly, in case of damage, the robot is equipped with a special system for replacing broken glass and spare units of the latter. As an additional means of detecting the enemy, the prospective robot can also use a microphone system with a circular "review". It is assumed that the use of such a complex system of touch devices will help to increase the probability of detecting the enemy and give the robot certain advantages.
The greatest interest in the proposed project is its armament complex. On the roof of the body of the robot there is a seat for a tower with receiver arms. The latter consists of two rifle-caliber machine guns (FCT or any other with similar weight and size parameters) and one original automatic grenade launcher. As you can see from the video, all three weapons are assembled into a single package and are aimed simultaneously. To aim them, the unit is equipped with an additional optical system. The robot's automatic grenade launcher is a cannon system using original ammunition. D. Semenov proposes to use spherical garnets made in a layered pattern. The outer layer of such a ball can be made of fluoroplastic or any other durable plastic, under it is a spherical fragmentation shirt made of metal, and in the very center of the grenade there is an explosive charge and a fuse. In the future, such a system will make it possible to create not only fragmentation grenades, but also ammunition for other purposes: smoke, lighting, etc. Shooting grenades made using the stock of compressed air.
The machine guns and the grenade launcher of the robot are designed to fire at manpower and unarmored enemy vehicles. To combat more serious targets, such as armored vehicles, a remote-controlled vehicle must be equipped with armor-piercing weapons. Shots for hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers are offered as ammunition. For them, a special package of guides for 6-7 shots is provided in the back of the robot. In the firing position, it extends over the body of the robot using a special telescopic structure. Horizontal guidance is performed by turning the whole robot, vertically - by tilting the package of guides. The calculation of the trajectory and aiming is obviously assigned to the electronics of the robot. In the stowed position, the package of guides is placed inside the hull, while it can be recharged. To do this, inside the armored hull placed a number of grenade launchers, if necessary, served in the guides.
It is argued that the robot electronics can independently detect attacking objects and fire them. At the same time, the signatures of objects that cannot be attacked are stored in the memory of the hardware-software complex — friendly soldiers and equipment or civilians. Algorithms for identifying the environment have not yet been published and may not yet have been created. Signals about the state of the systems, as well as video from surveillance cameras located on the combat vehicle, are transmitted to the robot control panel. Due to this, the operator can receive a large amount of data regarding the situation and act accordingly.
The video shows a sanitary modification of a remote-controlled robot. It differs from the “base” model by the presence of a special evacuation module. At the bottom of such a robot is a collapsible design, which, if necessary, extends and forms a rectangular box with an additional pair of wheels. A wounded person may be transported inside this unit. Details of the design and layout of this version of the robot were not published. Obviously, the presence of an evacuation module reduces ammunition or in some other way changes the location of the units inside the armored hull.
On the available video promising combat robots demonstrate the highest potential. Without any outside help, they shoot tanks, shoot down helicopters and destroy the mass of enemy manpower. It is not difficult to guess that in real conditions everything will be much more complicated. It is worth noting that no one is even thinking about sending such vehicles into battle. The fact is that at the moment, the Semenov construction robot is only a collection of ideas and ideas, but no more. With all the pros and cons, this concept is still too raw for real use. Nevertheless, a number of ideas worth attention.
The proposed system with electric wheels looks somewhat complicated, but interesting. In some circumstances, powering the motors from the battery can help the combat robot to secretly reach the position. At the same time, a rather heavy car will require a powerful battery, the exact parameters of which are currently impossible to calculate due to the lack of complete information. Some issues are caused by ceramic reservation. Corundum or carbide tiles provide a good level of protection, but after the first few hits, they fall into shards. Thus, after each battle, the repairmen will have to not only straighten the metal case and paint the marks from the bullets, but also change dozens of ceramic tiles.
The proposal for a sensory system is also original and interesting. However, the set of cameras and microphones has several serious drawbacks. First, the transmission of several video signals will require a wide communication channel, subject to the effects of electronic warfare. Secondly, it will be necessary to create a simple, but effective and technological system for the replacement of triplexes. Without it, the cameras risk becoming a real expendable material. Finally, even without damage, the cameras are one of the most expensive elements of the whole structure.
As for the original pneumatic grenade, this idea does not look justified. There are already quite a few automatic grenade launchers and the creation of another one hardly makes sense. The only advantage of the idea proposed by Semenov concerns the possibility of using several types of ammunition. However, fine-tuning a pneumatic implement and the subsequent deployment of mass production can be much more difficult than the simple revision of existing structures with the addition of selective power. Machine guns at the same time are fully justified and appropriate to the type of weapons. The only question for them is the number of cartridges transported.
A batch launcher for grenade launchers may have some promise. With an appropriate weapon control system, such a unit can be used even on less developed in terms of electronics combat vehicles. Moreover, the package guide can be useful without the use of a recharge system. At the same time, some doubts are caused by the accuracy of shooting from such weaponsbut it will most likely be no lower than that of hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers. A good advantage of the proposed Semenov anti-tank system is ammunition. The use of unguided grenade rounds significantly reduces the cost of operating a combat robot, although it is not capable of ensuring combat effectiveness at the level of modern anti-tank missile systems. In the future, a remotely controlled combat vehicle can be equipped with guided anti-tank missiles, but such re-equipment will significantly reduce the ammunition, and in addition will seriously change the economic side of its operation.
In general, the project of a remotely controlled combat robot of a design by D. Semenov is quite interesting. There are several original and promising solutions. At the same time, it is unlikely that in the near future at least a prototype of a new combat vehicle will be made. Original solutions led to a too high degree of novelty, which will necessarily alienate potential customers. In the current state, the beginning of the design work on the new project will lead, at most, to the creation of a prototype for running in technologies. The serial and commercial prospects of such a robot, in turn, are small and foggy. Because of the many original solutions, such a combat robot will be very expensive, and its combat effectiveness will continue to be a subject of controversy for a long time. And controversial projects, as is known, rarely become successful and famous.
Patent text: http://findpatent.ru/patent/247/2473863.html
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