Warfare by remote control: security robot could protect military bases.

• Author: Tiron, Roxana

A long-awaited robotic security system--capable of detecting intruders, assessing their intentions, communicating their location and even stopping them in their tracks--will be evaluated next month at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nev. The Mobile Detection Assessment and Response System (MDARS) was conceived to provide security at installations in the United States, but program officials now intend to send it to forward operating bases around the world.

"Our intent is to get that technology to areas of responsibility as soon as we have the bugs ironed out," said Lt. Col. Eugene Stockel, product manager for U.S. Army force protection systems.

That deployment, however, depends on having enough resources and on demonstrating the systems' relevance, he said.

Stockel's office is conducting an analysis of alternatives on the system "to determine what is the end- state requirement to field this capability to forces overseas," Stockel told National Defense. "We are certainly exploring the potential to take the prototype systems overseas and putting them in the field, and see how well they do, but we do not want to do that until we characterize their performance."

After the early user appraisal, which will last for eight months, the system will be refined and prepared for the milestone decision authority that will give the green light to produce a certain number of systems to meet, at first, the requirements in the United States. The production decision should be reached by Marcia 2006.

MDARS is designed to provide automated intrusion detection and inventory assessment on military bases and depots. It is expected to operate autonomously, in a stand-alone mode or with other intrusion detection systems.

MDARS has three services participating--the Army, Navy and Air Force and is funded under the Defense Department physical security equipment action group. The Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command developed the host architecture, while the Army Military Police School developed the operational requirements document. The system comports with the Air Force's operational requirements for the integrated base defense 2020 concept, Stockel told an industry conference organized by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

The idea behind MDARS is to provide multiple platforms that perform random patrols within assigned areas on bases and warehouse. During these patrols, these systems are programmed to detect, for example, anomalous...