The driver’s seat is almost completely empty.

This is a Robdozer – a fortified vehicle that can be operated remotely. In this case, it was controlled from a military exhibition in Alabama, located half way across the world.

The Robdozer, the robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer, is considered the future of automated warfare by military engineers and experts.

Since years, the Israeli military has been using D9 to perform frontline tasks such as trowelling roads in preparation for advancing troops and removing rubble.

Since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, and then in Lebanon later, the Israeli military has deployed this robotic version more and more to improve its field operations and to reduce the risks for its troops.

“The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer,” Rani’s team at Israel Aerospace Industries, owned by the state, developed the Robdozer.

During the Gaza War, the military has increasingly chosen the unmanned version which can perform a wide range of tasks “even better than a human”Rani said, only using his first name for reasons of security.

The Israeli military is shaping the future of warfare in Gaza by using autonomous vehicles and systems.

– “Changing the paradigm”

Israel’s increasing use on the battlefield of advanced technology, from air defence systems, to a wide range of AI-driven tools, is well documented, but has also been criticized for inaccuracies and lack of human oversight, as well as potential violations of international laws.

Analysts say that the increasing Israeli deployment of Robdozer is a reflection of broader global trends toward automation in heavy combat vehicle, such as remote-controlled personnel carriers which operate like drones.

According to AFP, an Israeli military official who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive issues, has confirmed that the army is using “robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare”.

Official: Troops can now operate machines without having to enter enemy territories, said the official.

Andrew Fox, a retired British Army major and research fellow at London’s Henry Jackson Society, said that the Israeli military is likely to be the first to use remote-controlled fighting machinery in a war zone.

“It’s a really big development” What is “changing the paradigm” He said that in war, tasks could be performed as effectively, but with a much lower risk to personnel.

– New era –

“This is the future,” John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare at the US Military’s Modern War Institute in West Point, said:

You can find out more about this by clicking here. “have been experimenting with it, but nobody has seen direct deployment into active modern combat,” He added. “It is very unique.”

Beyond the ethical and legal implications of such advanced technology, a human presence is required to make decisions in particular in unusual situations.

Tal Mimran of Hebrew University of Jerusalem said that the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked Gaza war was a terrible example of this, when Palestinian militants broke through the high-security borders.

“I think that October 7 showed us that you can build a wall that may cost $1 billion, but if you do not patrol the border, then someone will infiltrate your country,” Mimran is a lecturer, researcher and expert in international law. He has closely followed the technological advancements of the Israeli military.

“We must take note of the opportunities and of the risks of technology,” He said.

“This is the era in which artificial intelligence is exploding into our lives, and it is only natural that it will also have a manifestation in the security field.”