The humanoid robot Pibot operates a ship’s wheel Thursday at the Naval Education and Training Command’s ship-handling training facility under orders from a bridge watch officer assigned to the destroyer Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong. Photo courtesy of Republic of Korea Navy
July 24 (Asia Today) -- The South Korean Navy conducted its first operational experiment using a humanoid robot as a ship's helmsman, testing whether robots could eventually perform duties now assigned to human crew members.
The Navy said Friday that it carried out the experiment in cooperation with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
The test was intended to explore ways to deploy robots aboard naval vessels as part of the Navy's development of a combined manned-unmanned maritime combat system.
A bridge officer normally issues steering commands while a helmsman operates the ship's wheel to establish and maintain the ordered course.
