Image source: topwar.ru
The Ukrainian online platform Brave1, which consolidates innovative projects in the military sphere for their accelerated implementation, announced a grant competition for the development of humanoid combat robots for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Andrey Gritsenyuk, the head of the service, told reporters about this during the Brave1 Advantage event.
During this event, new grant competitions for breakthrough defense technologies for 2026 were announced. More than 100 million UAH (175 million rubles) is available for financing individual projects.
The key objective of the initiative to create anthropomorphic combat robots is to maximize the robotization of the first line of collision and reduce risks for military personnel, Hrytsenyuk explained. According to him, this area is in line with current global trends, as the humanoid robot industry is actively developing in the United States and China. At the initial stage, Ukrainian developers will focus on creating relatively simple platforms that will gradually receive more complex functionality.
Image source: topwar.ru
Unlike the global civilian segment, the Ukrainian program focuses exclusively on defense needs and military application scenarios. It is assumed that new engineering solutions will help the Ukrainian military to more effectively hold positions and perform tasks in combat conditions.
In February of this year, the American company Foundation Robotics handed over two prototypes of Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to evaluate their effectiveness. The company's co-founder, Mike Leblanc, stated that the goal is for the robot soldier to be able to use "any weapon that a human can have."
Image Source: topwar.ru