Rheinmetall presented a Q-UGV nicknamed Lassie that it is experimenting with at DSEI 2021. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)
Rheinmetall presented a quadripedal unmanned ground vehicle (Q-UGV) that it is experimenting with at the 2021 DSEI defence exhibition being held in London on 14–17 September. The company has been experimenting with three Ghost Robotics Q-UGVs for the last year.
The Q-UGV is displayed at DSEI with micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) resembling the Black Hornet as an illustration of a possible future application. Nicknamed Lassie, the Q-UGV is displayed next to Rheinmetall's Gladius soldier system with which it would operate.
Other possible applications listed by the company include tethering UAVs to the Q-UGV; military operations in urban terrain (MOUT) swarms; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) reconnaissance; special operations; medical evacuation (medevac); perimeter protection; indoor reconnaissance; battlefield mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET); and disaster response.
Rheinmetall envisages the Q-UGV being deployed from vehicles, climbing up stairs, and swimming. In the medevac role, it could reach wounded people, check their pulse and transmit the results, and even drag them to safety, according to Rheinmetall.
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