Russia’s Robotic Snowmobile

This year’s Army-2017 military expo in Russia featured a myriad of systems designed to showcase current Russian achievements fielded by the country’s forces, as well as to show prospective new technologies. Unmanned military systems – or military robotic complexes, as Russia calls them – receive a lot of attention.

Representatives of the Volga State Technological Institute showcased a robotic snowmobile built for the Russian Far North and the Arctic. According to project developers, the unmanned vehicle overcomes obstacles through a platform that simulates a change in the center of gravity, similar to the movements of a person on a snowmobile. They added that such a system can be installed on any snowmobile, turning them into unmanned versions. In the near future, designers plan to work out the interaction between these snowmobile “drones” so that they are able to signal each other about possible obstacles such as snowstorms, landslides and ravines. Given the emphasis that Russian Ministry of Defense is placing on securing Russia’s role in the Arctic regions, it is possible that such unmanned ground vehicle may be utilized soon.