It can climb stairs, self‑right when flipped, and transmit encrypted video, thermal imagery, and audio back to operators in real time.
By Hezy Laing
Roboteam’s autonomous point‑man ground robots represent one of the most important evolutions in modern urban warfare, designed to enter buildings ahead of soldiers and absorb the lethal risks traditionally carried by human breachers.
For decades, infantry units relied on human point‑men to clear rooms using speed, intuition, and split‑second judgment, a method that exposed even elite forces such as Israel’s YAMAM, the U.S. Army Rangers, and British SAS to ambushes, booby traps, and hidden shooters.
Roboteam, founded by Elad Levy and Yosi Wolf, developed the Micro Tactical Ground Robot (MTGR) and its autonomous point‑man variant to remove soldiers from that deadly first step.
Weighing roughly 7–9 kilograms depending on configuration, the robot can climb stairs, self‑right when flipped, and transmit encrypted video, thermal imagery, and audio back to operators in real time.
Its autonomous navigation suite allows it to map interiors, avoid obstacles, and identify human movement using onboard sensors without relying on GPS.
The system can be equipped with a manipulator arm capable of opening doors, moving suspicious objects, or handling improvised explosive devices, giving it a versatility that previously required multiple specialized tools.
Battery life typically ranges from two to four hours depending on mission load, and unit cost varies by configuration but generally falls between $40,000 and $80,000, a fraction of the cost of a single serious battlefield injury.
The robots are already in operational use by the Israel Defense Forces, U.S. Special Operations units, and several NATO militaries, all of which face the growing challenge of dense urban combat where every doorway can conceal a threat.
Before such systems existed, armies relied on flash‑bang grenades, canine units, mirrors on sticks, and slow, methodical room‑clearing drills that offered limited visibility and exposed soldiers to unpredictable dangers.
Compared to competitors such as Endeavor Robotics’ PackBot or QinetiQ’s Dragon Runner, Roboteam’s point‑man robots are lighter, faster to deploy, and offer superior stair‑climbing, self‑righting, and autonomous indoor navigation performance.
Their autonomy software is widely regarded as among the most advanced in the tactical robotics field, giving them a decisive edge in complex indoor environments where human reaction time is limited and situational awareness is critical.
Roboteam’s point‑man robots mark a decisive shift in urban combat, transferring the burden of first contact from soldiers to machines and redefining how modern armies approach the most dangerous square meters on the battlefield.
