Estonians invented a peaceful robot tank

A robot that can turn into a mini-tank, firefighter or tree planter is built by an Estonian company, Milrem Robotics, together with scientists.

Estonians are one of the frontrunners when it comes to self-driving vehicles. There are several companies and scientists in Estonia coming up with new solutions. Milrem Robotics is one of them. This Estonian company started off by building tanks. Now the scope is much wider.

The company’s goal is to find out how an unmanned vehicle could move around on difficult terrain. How can it recognise trees, stumps, lakes, hills and pits? How can it safely overcome obstacles without hurting people? It would also have to perform tasks given to it, like putting out fires or ploughing land.

“It’s a completely new territory we’re exploring,”Milrem’s Science and Development Director, Mart Noorma said. “The only way to figure this out is by working closely with scientists and possible future consumers.” Noorma also works at the Space Technology Department in the University of Tartu.

Besides joining forces with rescue services, a city council, and with Estonian troops in Mali, Milrem cooperates with seven working groups from three universities: the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and the Estonian University of Life Sciences.

Read futher from Research in Estonia web page.