Robots and unmanned air and ground vehicles currently make up a large part of the US military’s surveillance and security assets. About 4,000 robots and unmanned air and ground vehicles are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an organisation of the US Department of Defense, has awarded TRACLabs, a robotics and automation developer, US$850,000 (£515,000) to better integrate the information gathered by the technology to form a more comprehensive picture of what’s happening on the ground.

TRACLabs are to develop software over the next two years that merges the data into a single stream and should enable the robots to make better decisions faster. For example, developers will improve robotic recognition of static objects, such as bomb components, and help them better manipulate their environment, such as opening doors.

"This software will have an impact on a wide variety of defence activities," said David Kortekamp, President and CEO of TRACLabs. "Imagine a situation where a unit wants to see if chemical or radioactive weapons have been deployed in a building before they enter. Our software will enable a robot to quickly and accurately assess the situation without putting troops at risk of exposure."

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