The South Korean army has deployed two robot sentries to help soldiers patrol the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the Republic from its secretive communist neighbor.
The robots – which were developed by a consortium of South Korean firms led by Samsung – are capable of detecting, warning and providing suppressive fire against enemy units along the heavily fortified DMZ.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, the robots are equipped with sophisticated heat and motion sensors that detect possible threats and relay data back to operators stationed at command and control (C&C) centers.
The operators can then order the units to respond with automatic rifle fire or a 40mm grenade launcher.
The Daily Telegraph reports that South Korea is also developing “highly sophisticated” combat robots which could eventually fight alongside their human counterparts on future battlefields.
At approximately 250 kilometres (160 miles) long and 4 km (2.5 mi) wide, the Korean DMZ is the most heavily militarized border in the world.