Friday, September 25, 2015, 12:57 PM  Soldiers wounded on the front lines could soon be getting a helping hand from more than just their comrades.  A new robot is being tested to carry soldiers off the battlefield to eliminate the risk of medics getting hit under fire.  Major Gen. Steve Jones — commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Centre and School, and chief of the Army’s Medical Corps — thinks the robots will reduce the number of casualties in war.  "We have lost medics through the years because they have the courage to go and rescue their comrades under fire," Jones said at a medical conference in Arlington County, Virginia.  "We already have robots on the battlefield today used to examine explosive devices and to detonate them. With some minor adaptation, we could take that same technology and use it to help casualties that are under fire."  The off-road robots — which bear a striking resemble to the "Johnny Five" character in the 1986 film "Short Circuit" — have caterpillar like tracks and a head on top of the neck that is flexible.  To help making caring for injured soldiers a lot easier, Jones thinks that the robot could give a vital "telemedicine" link between front-line units and medical staff at the base or in some cases back home in the United States.  Drone aircraft could also be used to deliver antibiotics or blood to the front line in order to keep the wounded in the fight — so members of the team don't have to evacuate the causalities and the team can continue its mission, Jones said.  The Army is already in the process of developing other groundbreaking technologies that could soon be used in battle — like "FitBit," which uses sensors to monitor heart rates and the steps taken to help medics provide advice on how to keep them healthy while in the battle zone.  "They can be wearing the sensors and we can just monitor them. And we can do that remotely," Jones said.  "There is a lot of information we can provide commanders that they can use to manage their soldiers."  Those same sensors can also be used to triage for causalities instantly if they are injured to get help to the ones that need it the most.
New technology being developed may be the answer to helping soldiers in need of medical attention on the battlefield.