Machine gun-armed robots to guard DMZ

By Kim Tae-gyu

Staff reporter

A robot armed with a machine gun will supplement military guards in monitoring the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two Koreas, in a project to check the viability of it taking the place of humans.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy picked a total of 11 robotic pilot projects, which will be tested during the latter part of this year including the SGR-1 armed robot produced by Samsung Techwin.

The model employs state-of-the-art surveillance technology with two optical cameras and heat and motion sensors on top of a 5.57 millimeter machine gun, which will be remotely controlled.

The machine and its control team will undergo pilot tests in a few months. Samsung Techwin expects that it will be efficient in detecting and suppressing any intruders.

``Humans might miss an intruder at night. By contrast, the SGR-1 has unblinking eyes to monitor the 4 kilometer wide DMZ. Overnight, the special camera will be in charge,'' a Samsung Techwin representative said.

``When infiltrators are detected, the control team will be automatically notified so that it can give an alert. The machine gun will fire with pinpoint precision. The pilot project will use live ammunition.''

However, the SGR-1 to be placed in the DMZ will not be equipped with an acoustic device that fires a powerful tone to make intruders feel nauseous so that they fall to the ground.

The Samsung Techwin official said that the firm will strive to put the robots along the DMZ, seacoasts and around key military installations in a couple of years, that are now guarded by human sentries.

Unlike other borders, the 250 kilometer DMZ is heavily fortified with both the South and the North patrolling the entire length. Guards are also necessary to monitor the long sea coasts to prevent any intrusions.

Hence, a large number of soldiers keep tabs on the DMZ and coastal areas around the clock.

The SGR-1 is a stationary model but Samsung Techwin is also working on mobile patrol robots together with a state-run institute.