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The U.S. Army will provide one of its two robotic dogs to help clear mines and other munitions in Ukraine, Foreign Policy magazine publishes, citing sources familiar with the deal.
HALO Trust, a mine-clearing company with multiple contracts with the U.S. government, will use “Spot,” a robot dog made by technology firm Boston Dynamics, to remove mortar shells and cluster munitions in formerly Russian-controlled areas near Kyiv, said Chris Whatley, the group’s chief executive officer.
In a test session last year, “Spot” worked effectively at these tasks and, according to the trade magazine, Whatley hopes that will translate to working with cluster munitions that Russia has used indiscriminately in Ukraine and spread throughout the country.
By deploying its robotic arm, “Spot” could help drag unexploded ordnance into pits containing other munitions, allowing them to safely explode away from civilians in batches of up to 50 to 100 shells, the publication claims.
This would also reduce the danger to which HALO human teams deployed in Ukrainian cities such as Bucha and Brovary, which were temporarily occupied by the Russians after they invaded Ukraine, are subject.
