It is not just one-way attack drones (read JPMorgan report) operating on AI-enabled kill chains that human soldiers have to worry about on the modern battlefield. We have been laying out this story and were among the first to point out that humanoid robots are not only entering factory floors and warehouses, but are also moving toward the battlefield.
San Francisco-based robotics company Foundation Future Industries is developing a “dual-use” humanoid robot called the “Phantom MK1,” designed for heavy manufacturing, logistics, and the military.
The defense angle for the Phantom MK1 is quite simple: replace the human soldier with the robot for close-quarters battle (CQB) operations, including breaching and room-clearing support.
Beyond CQB, a never-before-seen video now shows the Phantom MK1 operating a mobile light mortar system during a live-fire training exercise in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Phantom MK1
To better understand the Foundation’s position, we reached out for comment. The company responded with the following statement:
The US military has backed Foundation in over $73M on grants and contracts to develop their robot to this point.
Although many of the use cases they’ve worked on have been logistics-focused, the ultimate goal has always been kinetic use cases.
Although drones and UGVs have been promising new robots on the Ukrainian battlefield, humanoids are the only robot being built that promises to interact with the entire fleet and arsenal of human weapons and vehicles.
Launching mortars and soon breaching doors have become near-term proofs of humanoids moving from logistics to kinetic engagements.
Watch Phantom MK1
In February, we outlined that humanoid robots would soon move onto the modern battlefield, not just factory floors and warehouses. A little more than a month later, TIME picked up on that reporting. More recently, CNBC followed with a piece titled, “This Trump-linked startup plans to put humanoid robots in the military.”
Foundation co-founder and CEO Sankaet Pathak recently said that a humanoid-soldier arms race is “already happening,” as Russia and China develop dual-use technology.
Phantom MK1 Holding 9mm Pistol
“Just like drones, machine guns, or any technology, you first have to get them into the hands of customers,” Pathak said.
You’re getting a front-row seat to what the 2030s battlefield will look like (read report).