The futuristic armoured vehicle with an AI brain that can drive itself and launch drones

The war in Ukraine has highlighted the vulnerabilities of traditional armour and the benefits of using uncrewed vehicles on the battlefield.

At the forefront of developing these is an Israeli company which is using robotics and artificial intelligence to build a new generation of intelligent armoured vehicles. 

ROBUST is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) fitted with a 30-millimetre turret, guided missile launchers, an onboard drone and capable of carrying a payload of eight tonnes.

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It can navigate itself to any location, using technology developed for self-driving cars, and its range of sensors allow the vehicle's AI brain to create its own situational awareness - feeding that information back to a human mission commander.

The vehicle can carry a range of weapons from 30mm guns to missiles and even drones.

In just a few decades, say the makers, every major army will be operating unmanned vehicles like this, with the bitter lessons of Ukraine only likely to accelerate their development.