Expected to be deployed in 2024
Korea is ready to produce robots for military uses which are mimicking animals and other types of creatures to better brace for improving future battlefields, the arms
procurement agency said.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) rolled out its plan to actively
apply the so-called biomimetics to the military's future weapons systems.
If it proceeds as planned, several kinds of biobots, which replicate humans and insects,
are expected to be deployed as early as 2024, DAPA said, adding that robots mimicking
birds, snakes and other marine species could be part of the country's military
forces afterwards.
"Biometric robots will be a game changer in future warfare, and related technologies
are expected to bring about great ripple effects throughout the defense industry,"
agency spokesman Park Jeong-eun said, adding that their roles will range from search and
rescue operations to reconnaissance.
Noting that South Korea lags years behind major advanced countries such as the
United States, Japan, Russia and China in the military application of biomimetics, the agency
vowed close cooperation with the private sector to facilitate the development of
the state-of-the-art technologies for innovative weapons systems.
Experts have said bioinspired designs could be beneficial to seeking solutions for
diverse engineering problems as animals have been optimized over millions of
years for survival. (Yonhap)