Simple and Cheap: Ukraine’s Ground Robots Show Strong Results in Combat Evacuations

Low-cost ground robots used to evacuate wounded soldiers in Ukraine are showing strong results and are drawing the attention of foreign companies.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Business Insider.

Ukrainian forces are using ground-based robotic platforms to evacuate wounded soldiers in situations where constant drone threats make it too dangerous to send human rescuers. These systems effectively function as remotely controlled stretchers, capable of transporting injured troops to relatively safer areas.

Jeffrey Wells, a US Navy veteran who is currently involved in combat operations on Ukraine’s side on a nonprofit basis, said that while the robots are not a perfect solution, they often represent the only chance to save lives. 

According to him, their main advantage lies in their simplicity and low cost, as they are frequently exposed to enemy fire and do not always make it back.

At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers acknowledge the limitations of ground robots: they can be jammed by electronic warfare systems, suffer mechanical failures, or become easy targets for the enemy. For this reason, such platforms are typically used as a last-resort option when other evacuation methods are impossible.

Experts stress that the technology does not need to be overly complex. Wells argues that it is better to have many inexpensive robots than a single costly and “perfect” system that commanders may hesitate to risk. The key priorities, he says, are functionality and rapid deployment on the battlefield.

"And that shouldn't cost a lot of money and should be something that's easily developed, replaced, and deployed," he explained.

US Navy veteran said the robot he saw in action was "low tech" but got the job done. And, according to him, it is better to have 10 robots worth $1,000 than one that is more complex and worth $100,000.

"You kind of just need something that's effective, essentially a stretcher with wheels that gives hope to the person that's injured," he added. 

Russian drone attacks on medical teams and evacuation routes have significantly complicated the provision of aid to wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Due to the constant aerial threat, the traditional concept of the “golden hour” has effectively ceased to function.

Therefore, the situation requires a reassessment of medical evacuation approaches in modern warfare, and using of ground umanned robots may pose a solution that may not be flawless but still able to give a chance to a wounded soldier to be rescued. A recent successful operation to rescue a soldier who had been trapped behind enemy lines for 33 days showed how important ground-based unmanned platforms have become.

As The Gaze informed earlier, on October 14, Russian troops shelled a UN humanitarian mission in the Bilozerska community of the Kherson region, causing significant material damage. 

Read also on The Gaze: Ukraine’s War-Driven Defense Innovation