A Harness, a Hexacopter, and a Frontline Too Dangerous for a Ground Robot
A wounded Ukrainian soldier was evacuated by drone from a frontline position where Russian drones and landmines made sending in a wheeled ground robot impractical, according to The Kyiv Independent. The operation took place at an undisclosed time and place.
On October 19, Ukraine's Army shared video of the evacuation, showing the soldier securing himself in a harness suspended beneath a heavy hexacopter with six rotors before being flown to safety.
Napalm, a programmer with the 92nd separate assault brigade's unmanned ground systems company — speaking by callsign, as is Ukrainian military practice — described the rescue as a historic event and the next stage of evacuating the wounded.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The hexacopter wasn't a flourish. With enemy drones overhead and mines underfoot, the ground robot people might have expected wasn't an option, and the casualty got out by air instead.
Calling this the next stage of casualty evacuation is a prediction from someone building the systems, not a demonstrated norm. Whether harness lifts under a drone ever become ordinary is the part worth watching.