Kiev [Ukraine], September 10: The Ukrainian army is said to have recently used handheld game consoles to remotely control machine gun systems.
On August 8, Ukraine's social media account X United24 Media shared a video of Ukrainian soldiers using a Steam Deck handheld game console to remotely control guns.
In the video, soldiers operate the ShaBlya machine gun , considered one of the first "robotic" weapons deployed by Ukraine on the front lines. The machine gun system also has a thermal imager and a wide-angle camera to locate targets and can fire at ranges of more than 4 km, according to United24.
The gun is controlled by Steam Deck, a handheld game console launched in 2022 by Valve (USA). The main function of the machine is mainly for entertainment and playing games, but the Ukrainian army is likely to exploit other features of Steam Deck and apply it to the battlefield.
The use of Steam Deck to control the machine gun highlights the fact that many technologies have been used in the war in Ukraine, especially robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs or unmanned boats are deployed by the Russian and Ukrainian militaries for a variety of purposes such as reconnaissance, raids on important targets, and mass attacks.
The advantage of remote control systems is that soldiers are not directly involved in combat, thereby reducing the risk of casualties. Both Kyiv and Moscow are increasingly improving remote-controlled weapons to help them take on more roles or increase the power and effectiveness of the weapons. Recently, the Russian Ministry of Defense revealed that it has used UAVs connected and controlled via fiber optic cables, increasing accuracy and reducing the impact of jamming systems.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper