CANBERRA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is planning to develop hitech soldiers and weaponized robots to "modernize levels of protection and lethality" in combat.
According to the Defence Department documents published by The Australian on Wednesday, the ADF has adopted an "accelerated" plan to integrate robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), data and soldiers to "achieve tactical advantage."
"Emerging technology and speed of lethality development cycles require the Soldier Combat System (SCS) to continuously modernize levels of protection and lethality," the documents said.
"The next generation of SCS will explore the integration of machines, sensors and data to enhance close combatant survivability, lethality and local environment understanding."
New technology being considered by the ADF to support land warfare include weaponized drones, unmanned ground vehicles and digital guns with automated firing technology.
Soldiers could also be enhanced by uniforms that adjust to environmental conditions and body armour with power storage.
The document stressed the importance of Human Machine Teaming (HUM-T)to modernize "interactions between human and robotic agents to achieve a tactical advantage."
"The development of the HUM-T for the close combatant environment is ambitious. The difficulty is not in the development of technologies to support the realization - in many cases, the technology exists," it said.
"The challenge is that the technologies have not been integrated to achieve a collaborative effect.
"The Soldier Combat System Program (SCSP) intends to act as a co-ordination focal point for the development of robotics and autonomous systems integration for the Australian Army platoon and below size organizations."
