The Army Futures Command, which has a presence on the RELLIS campus, is hosting a two day event on the Texas A&M campus related to the development of robots that the Army says “can help protect soldiers and revolutionize warfare.”
Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez is among the government, academic, and industry partners associated with the event associated with the Army’s human-machine integration, or HMI program.
Gutierrez said during his visit on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs (November 6) that the event was originally going draw around 300 people. But Gutierrez said more than 1,000 applied to attend, so they “kind of pivoted and we’re trying to figure out how do we make all these people feel as welcomed as they should feel.”
Gutierrez says attendees includes possible contractors, generals, and others “who are making these decisions on how do we go forward and how we protect our people”, which is a reference to protecting those who are on the battlefield.
An article from the Army News Service says HMI forces, using unmanned vehicles, drones, and other machines “could shoulder risks normally assumed by Soldiers.” That could help achieve the Army’s goal of “no blood for first contact” on battlefields.
The article also says the purpose of the two day event at A&M is “to inform academic, industry and government partners on HMI development and explore cost-cutting solutions.”
Click below to hear comments from Bobby Gutierrez, visiting with Scott DeLucia on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs.