ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

The battlefield of the not-too-distant future is likely to be crowded with “all manner of robots” that “greatly outnumber human fighters,” a new Army report predicts.

Flesh-and-blood troops remaining in the fight will be “super humans” who are “physically and mentally augmented with enhanced capabilities” to heighten their senses, improve situational awareness, and boost interaction with fellow soldiers, according to the U.S. Army Research Laboratory workshop report, “Visualizing the Tactical Ground Battlefield in the Year 2050.”

The Army wants to invest in a new type of personal drone kit for use by combat soldiers on the battlefield. The Common Light Autonomous Robotics Kit, or CLARK, is envisioned as a pocket-sized system designed to give troops on the ground a way to conduct close reconnaissance and investigate threats from safe distances.

The Army’s primary battlefield system for improving visual and situational awareness is performing “reasonably well” at echelons above brigade but remains problematic at the tactical level, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A.