Humanoid Robot Soldiers Used To Train British Army Paratroopers

Humanoid robot soldiers that 'come alive' in virtual reality and can talk and shoot guns will be used to train British Army paratroopers for combat

JONATHAN CHADWICK 

Humanoid robot soldiers that come alive in virtual reality (VR) are set to be used to train British Army paratroopers for combat.

Troops at 16 Air Assault Brigade will be put through their paces at a special VR training experience at their facilities in Colchester, Essex. 

The 'humanoid robotic targets', called SimStrikers, fire BB gun-style pellets at the troops whilst shouting in foreign languages.

In real life, the humanoids look like mannequins, but in virtual reality they appear as avatars of enemy fighters. 

British defence firm 4GD is supplying 10 of the SimStrikers to the 16 Air Assault Brigade, which is a unit of the British Army based in Colchester. 

'We are excited to officially introduce SimStriker to the market and continue supporting the British Army with high-tech solutions for impactful and data-driven close combat training,' said Rob Taylor, founder of 4GD.