Science and Tech

Anduril Bolt-M, the pocket kamikaze drone capable of destroying a jeep

Autonomous drones check inventory at Ikea, workers are not amused

The last thing the world needs is more guns, but here we have another one. Anduril Industries presents a drone that can be carried in a backpack and used to destroy a jeep guided by AI. Of course, it will only be sold to the military, although it will have an unarmed version.

Kamikaze drones are already protagonists in wars, as, unfortunately, we have seen in the invasion of Ukraine.

Current models are quite large and heavy, and must be guided by remote control. Anduril Industries has presented a small drone, capable of destroying a jeep using artificial intelligence.

From virtual reality to military drones

Anduril Industries is a company founded by Palmer Luckey. If you are a fan of virtual reality, its name will ring a bell. He was the founder of Oculus and creator of the pioneering Oculus Rift virtual reality glasses, which started the modern virtual reality revolution a few years ago.

Palmer Luckey sold Oculus to Meta for $2 billion. With his technology, Meta created the Quest.

Luckey invested that money in founding Anduril Industrieswhich is basically dedicated to manufacture military drones. And it has gone quite well. You have already signed contracts for more than 1.5 billion dollars with the US Department of Defense, to manufacture different models of drones.

The latest in kamikaze drones is the new Anduril Bolt-M. Its main novelty, within the military environment, is its “pocket” size, since it only weighs 7 Kilos, and is carried disassembled in a backpack.

It only takes five minutes to assemble, thus obtaining a small, highly maneuverable drone, equipped with the most advanced artificial intelligence.

The Bolt-M drone is controlled with a console with a screen, reminiscent of a Steam Deck. However, thanks to AI, Once you have locked on the target, it is able to follow it on its own, even if it loses sight of it. It also distinguishes between military vehicles, civil vehicles, and people.

As we see in the opening video of the news, once in position, the kamikaze drone plummets, and detonates the three-kilogram explosive that it carries in its casingcausing a shock wave capable of destroying a vehicle, and everything around it within three or four meters.

The Bolt model will not carry explosives and will be used for reconnaissance and espionage missions. Bolt-M, the smallest kamikaze drone, has already received orders from the US Navy, to do tests.

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Tags: Artificial intelligence, Video, Viral, Curiosities, drones

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