US Army looks for robots that can clean up chemical and bioweapons messes

It's bot versus bot! Just in time for the predicted rise of AI-made biological and chemical weapons, the US Army has plans to fight autonomy with autonomy by getting its hands on some bot-based chemical weapon cleanup tech.

The Army recently published a Request For Information on Autonomous Decontamination Systems (ADS) to see what might be out there in the existing commercial market to help its Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) troops more easily clean up contaminated vehicles, infrastructure, and terrain. 

"ADS will reduce manpower and optimize resources required for decontamination operations while mitigating the risk of exposure of warfighters to Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents through robotic means," the Army said in its RFI. 

The Army sees its auto-decontamination machines fitting into platoon-sized groups (40 soldiers or so), where they'll be able to conduct full cleaning cycles, spraying decontaminants and rinsing objects with water. The branch ...