Bots & Bullets

The Russian army has allegedly sent Marker combat robots to Ukraine, an autonomous combat system…

Machina Labs today announced the completion of an investment by Lockheed Martin Ventures (LMV), the venture arm of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Machina Labs combines AI and robotics to rapidly manufacture advanced sheet metal products. This latest funding brings the total raised by Machina Labs to $21.8M.

The global military drones market reached a value of nearly $13,309.0 million in 2021, having increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5% since 2016. The market is expected to grow from $13,309.0 million in 2021 to $18,908.6 million in 2026 at a rate of 7.3%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2026 and reach $25,399.7 million in 2031, according to a new report by Researchandmarkets

Polysentry, provider of platforms to integrate and analyze complex data sets, has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from the Department of the Air Force (DAF). In partnership with the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) and the USAF Digital Transformation Office (DTO), Polysentry will develop AI-COP, an AI-enabled Classification Operations Platform.

Dutch startup Fectar has developed an app that teaches Ukrainian children to recognize mines. This first-ever interactive augmented reality (AR) hologram lesson was created for explosives education. The lesson stems from the question soldier Charles Valentine asked himself: “How can we help the Ukrainian people to demine their country if 30% of the ammunition fired has not exploded but is still there?”

DEFCON AI, a software company working on modeling, simulation, and artificial intelligence for the Department of Defense (DoD), has announced that it closed a Department of the Air Force Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR). This contract was awarded through Air Force Installations and Sustainment Center and Air Mobility Command to accelerate the transition from prototype to production code for DEFCON AI’s operational-level logistics and mobility training software.

Immervision and ModalAI announce collaboration to create a drone vision solution incorporating the Immervision Imvisio-ML and ModalAI VOXL 2 platform. This collaboration will lead to an advanced ‘ready-to-fly’ vision system for drone manufacturers.

Elbit Systems of Australia will provide the Australian Army with the Skylark I LEX Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with Electro Optical and Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) system.

The San Francisco Police Department does not get permission to use robots equipped with lethal weapon. In a surprising U-turn the San Francisco Board of Supervisors have reversed their earlier first round vote that allowed police to kill suspects with robots. This result of the second round of voting came after massive public outcry against deploying killer robots.

Milrem Robotics and the German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) have signed a contract to deliver 14 THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) to Ukraine.