Robot dogs that can climb stairs, open doors, detect and defuse bombs are set to save the lives of British soldiers. Ministers stressed that the new military automaton would “revolutionise” bomb disposal operations and significantly reduce the risk to UK armed forces’ units sent to deal with explosives. Defence pioneers recently spent four days carrying out trials of the robot dogs. Drones using artificial intelligence will be deployed to identify threats before the robots are sent in to destroy bombs.

Defence Procurement Minister Maria Eagle, said: “This advanced technology demonstrates our commitment to protecting the military personnel who keep our nation safe, at home and abroad. “By working with industry and combining cutting-edge robotics with existing expertise, we’re ensuring our bomb disposal teams have the best possible tools to carry out their vital work safely and effectively.”.

Bomb disposal experts were among the British military personnel killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as in other conflicts. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) worked with British and international industry, L3Harris, Marlborough Communications Ltd and AeroVironment (Tomahawk Robotics) on the ground-breaking trials. They showed how human bomb disposal operators could be spared some of the risks that they face by increasing the number of tasks that robots can perform remotely.

The dog-like automaton can increasingly carry out “delicate and precision movements” reliably. Their use can also speed up bomb disposal operations, reducing the risks to the military and public. The Ministry of Defence stressed that the trials involved a series of scenarios, including the robots opening and closing doors autonomously, climbing stairs, inspecting improvised explosive devices and then firing disruptors at them to render them safe.

The MoD added that these pioneering techniques would significantly improve bomb disposal operations by minimising the human exposure to danger, improving operational efficiency and maintaining public safety. Chief Science and Technology Officer, Dstl, Prof Andy Bell, said: “This is a great example of how Defence can achieve an advantage through the exploitation of technology, fusing together military and commercial systems to keep our people and country safe from deadly threats.

“Working in partnership with industry and academia, Dstl is delivering mission success through science and technology advantage.”. Britain is at the forefront of many new warfare technologies including to counter wave of drone attacks. Drones have transformed the way the Ukraine war is being fought, with huge numbers being used, some which can fly more than 900 miles. Both Kyiv and Moscow have come under drone attack.