October 13, 2005: One of the radical new weapons the U.S. Army expects to have in the next decade is the ARV (Armed Robotic Vehicle). This will be a 10-ton tracked or wheeled armored vehicle, for use either in combat or reconnaissance missions. Like much of the new military technology that has appeared of late, this one will show up gradually, piece by piece, feature by feature. To that end, BAE systems has developed, with their own money, the Armed Robotic Demonstrator (ARD), this is a system that provides a remote control system for an armored vehicle. In this case, an M-2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle was used. The control unit is like a game console controller, with small video display built in. Via this display, the VRD operator can see what the Bradley’s Commander's Independent Viewer (a video thermal sight system) can see. In this way, the operator can control the Bradley and some of its weapons. The operator can drive the Bradley down a dangerous road , or into a risky part of town, and look around, without risking the lives of any troops. This may become a standard piece of equipment for Bradleys, but it is also the first step on the way towards developing an ARV. The next step in the ARV project is the incorporation of robotic driving systems, so the vehicle can find its own way from one place to another. Much progress has been made in this technology in the last few years.